At a time when data sharing and privacy are at the forefront of national conversations, University of Kentucky economics expert Dr. Kenneth R. Troske has joined the federal government’s Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building (ACDEB). 

The ACDEB is comprised of more than 20 agency officials and experts in data research, technology and policy that provide guidance on the ethical use of data for public service while protecting citizens’ rights to privacy, confidentiality and security. It operates under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reporting to the President of the United States. 

According to Troske, their goal is "Specifically to increase the availability of valuable data collected by governments to researchers in universities and government agencies so that they can use these data to produce better empirical research which will result in more effective, efficient policies - all while protecting the individuals' confidentiality."

Troske, the William B. Sturgill Endowed Professor of Economics at UK since 2005, is a former U.S. Census Bureau researcher and previously served as a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel, a bipartisan organization which operated from 2008-2011. The panel was tasked with assessing the existing condition of America’s financial markets and the regulatory system. It involved closely monitoring the actions of the Treasury Department and financial institutions to determine if those actions were in the best interest of the American economy.

"I am pleased to be appointed to the Federal Government's Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building," he said.  "If the recent COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of timely and accurate data for designing policies that can ultimately save people’s lives. I am looking forward to the next step in this process."

A 2014 recipient of the William T. Lyons Award for outstanding service to the university, the community and the Commonwealth, Troske is a member of the American Economic Association, the Southern Economics Association and the Society of Labor Economists.