Jessica Peña is acting chief of the Racial Statistics Branch in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division.  She leads a research team that analyzes race/ethnicity data from the 2020 Census – and guides research focusing on the reporting patterns of racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Puerto Rico and other Island Areas.

Peña has conducted extensive outreach, presentations and workshops with various stakeholder groups throughout her career. She has served as a senior technical expert on race and ethnicity – most recently as a senior researcher in a cross-directorate initiative focused on improving race/ethnicity data.

Peña began her career at the Census Bureau in 2017 as a pathways intern in the Population Division’s Ethnicity and Ancestry Branch. Peña has a Ph.D. and master’s degree in sociology from the University of Maryland – College Park, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the City University of New York – Hunter College. She has been awarded five Bronze Medal awards and a Department of Commerce Gold Medal for her contributions to the 2020 Census.