2026 ALA GODORT Sunshine Week Virtual Panel Discussion
Public Trust: Transparency, Information, and Democratic Engagement
Wednesday, March 18, 12-1 PM, Central Time
Event contacts: Anna Xiong, jax2@rice.edu or Patty Takacs, patriciatakacs@ufl.edu
Registration link:
https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3eQVeupaTESgCGkRtzjRMg#/registration
About the Event
Sunshine Week (https://sunshineweek.org/) highlights the importance of open government, access to information, and accountability as foundations of a healthy democracy. In recognition of these principles and the broader context of commemorating America250, the American Library Association Government Documents Round Table will host a Sunshine Week virtual panel to explore public trust, government transparency, and how historical insight and contemporary data can strengthen democratic engagement.
Panelists
Constance F. Citro, Ph.D.
Senior Scholar, Committee on National Statistics
Chair, National Academies Institutional Review Board
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Constance (Connie) Citro is a senior scholar in the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and a member of the American Statistical Association (ASA) Project to Assess and Monitor the Health of Federal Statistics. She previously served as CNSTAT director and senior study director. Prior to joining CNSTAT in 1984, she held positions as vice president of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and Data Use and Access Laboratories, Inc. Her first job in DC was at the Census Bureau working on documentation for the 1970 census computer products. She is a fellow of ASA and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. She has a B.A. in political science from the University of Rochester and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Yale University. For CNSTAT, she has worked on studies of the 1990-2020 censuses, measurement of poverty and income, and CNSTAT's flagship publication, Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency.
Patrick J. Flaherty
Patrick J. Flaherty is Director of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor, Connecticut's Labor Market Information shop and the Data Integration Hub for P20WIN, Connecticut's State Longitudinal Data System. Patrick works at the intersection between state and federal data. He is on the P20WIN Data Governing Board and serves as the Connecticut Department of Labor's Agency Data Officer. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Social Studies from Harvard University and his Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Connecticut. He is also Adjunct Faculty at UConn where he is teaching Principles of Microeconomics at UConn/Hartford. Currently, Patrick is the Labor Commissioner's designee on the Connecticut Retirement Security Program (MyCTSavings). He is also the New England representative on the Local Employment Dynamics Steering Committee.
Michelle Riordan-Nold
Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the CTData Collaborative executes the vision and strategy of the organization which seeks to democratize access to public data and to facilitate data-driven decision making. She holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Boston College and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
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Aaron M. Wilson
He/Him/His
Serials/Government Information Cataloging Librarian
University of Maryland, College Park
2025 Emerging Leader
2022 Spectrum LIRT Scholar
Chair, GODORT Education Committee (2025-2026)
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