Stuart Levenbach Quietly Assumes Role as U.S. Chief Statistician

According to the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, Stuart Levenbach has been appointed to serve as Chair of the Council, a position that is, by law, held by the U.S. Chief Statistician. OMB quietly updated its website to reflect his new role, replacing Mark Calabria, who assumed the role of Chief Statistician after the departure of Karin Orvis at the start of the Trump Administration’s second term in 2025. Notably, the position does not require Senate confirmation.

Previously, Levenbach had been nominated by the Trump Administration to serve as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), but the nomination lapsed at the beginning of the new Congressional session. Under the first Trump Administration, he served as chief of staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) before joining the White House Council on Environmental Quality as a senior adviser. He also worked at OMB for over 10 years in several roles, including his most recent appointment as Associate Director of Natural Resources, Energy, Science, and Water. Levenbach holds a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Political Science from the University of Michigan.