Lamar Smith Joins Connecticut Data Collaborative

The Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) has announced that Lamar Smith has joined the organization as Communications Associate.

As Communications Associate, Smith will collaborate with CTData team members to develop and market content that will provide useful insight for nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and businesses in Connecticut, to include newsletters, reports, social media, and digital marketing. He will also coordinate with CTData colleagues to promote the CTData annual conference this fall, as well as numerous other CTData events, initiatives, workshops and programs.

CTData, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, connects people and data to promote informed decision-making and to advance equity in Connecticut. CTData provides data training and resources to residents, nonprofits, policymakers, and funders to use data to drive policy, program, and service improvements. The organization promotes equitable data practices across the state.

Among its areas of responsibility, CTData has been designated as the lead organization for the State of Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program and as Connecticut’s official source for data related to the Census.

A native of New Haven and current Hamden resident, Lamar Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Connecticut State University, majoring in professional writing, and is remotely pursuing a graduate degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

He teaches animation at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, served as a long-term substitute teacher at the New Haven Academy, and as Resource and Data Coordinator at Leadership, Education & Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) in New Haven as a Public Allies 2nd year Fellow.

“I look forward to supporting the mission of CTData by applying my imagination and commitment to continuous learning to contribute to the organization's growth across all platforms,” said Lamar Smith. “SEO and online visibility are crucial for the success of any venture, and maintaining consistency is a significant contributor to this achievement.”

“We are thrilled to have Lamar on board and look forward to the creativity he will bring to communications, all with an eye toward ensuring people have access to the data resources they need to increase their data literacy and make data-informed decisions,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of CTData Collaborative. “He will play an integral role in implementing our strategy to ensure that people who need the array of resources we offer are finding them.”

CTData works with nonprofit organizations to develop Data Strategic Plans© to map out their use of data to further organizational missions and offers a range of programs and working groups through the CTData Academy. In addition, CTData recently published Town Profiles of each of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns in partnership with AdvanceCT.

CTData also operates a data “helpline” for assisting data users with obtaining, displaying, interpreting, and using data, and is a partner in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership.

CTData has accessible data projects available on the CTData website within the following categories: Business & Economy, Children & Families, Civic Engagement, Criminal Justice, Demographics & Population, Education, Hartford, Health & Healthcare, Housing, Migration and Regional/Town Data.

More information about CTData is available on the website at www.ctdata.org.