William L. Elder

Title: Director of the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA)

Background: Elder was National Library of Medicine fellow at MU with a focus on medical informatics. He is the principal investigator for several projects involving demographic analysis, educational policy and community health assessment. He has written dozens of articles and reports, many of which are available on the OSEDA Web site. His recent work involves patterns of population change and migration, public school improvement initiatives, and community information systems. He is fond of engaging Missourians in discussions about how social and economic trends in our state create opportunities and challenges for our communities and their leaders.

Education: PhD, rural sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003

Speaking Topic: How Missouri’s social and economic trends impact communities and their leaders