CIDS Center for Information
Development and Service
 
Welcome 
Who We Are
What We Do
Hierarchy of Indicators
Geographic Terminology
Links
Contact Us
Data & Resource
Accomplishments
Special Data Products
Presentations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Who We Are

CIDS is co-directed by Patricia Becker and Kurt Metzger. Patty is President of APB Associates and Executive Director of the Southeast Michigan Census Council (SEMCC). Kurt is Research Director of the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University. Both are experienced demographers, researchers and data professionals with in-depth knowledge of census data and other important data sets.

Patricia C. (Patty) Becker

 Patty has been working with census data for more than 40 years; the 2000 census is her sixth. Prior to establishing APB Associates in 1989 and becoming Executive Director of SEMCC in 1990, she was the City of Detroit's demographer and President of SEMCC's predecessor organization, the Detroit Regional Census Advisory Committee. Patty has helped hundreds of users to obtain the data they need to accomplish their goals. 

Patty is also an expert in geographic coding in the southeast Michigan region, and developed the 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 Census Tract Coding Guides, as well as electronic means of assigning census tract and block codes to addresses.

In addition to her local work, Patty has served on several Census Bureau advisory committees, and remains in close touch with the planning processes for the American Community Survey and the 2010 census. She is a past Board Member of both the Association of Public Data Users and of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, and holds membership in the American Statistical Association and the Population Association of America.

Patty and her husband Allan (the "A" of APB Associates) live in Southfield. They have three daughters and four grandchildren. Demographically, Patty is a "pre-boomer." 
 		Kurt Metzger

Kurt Metzger is research director of the Center for Urban Studies and director of the Michigan Metropolitan Information Center (MIMIC) at Wayne State. He came to Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies in May 1990, as a senior research analyst with MIMIC. He became director of MIMIC in October 1993 and research director in 2001. Prior to coming to Wayne State University, Kurt spent 15 years with the U.S. Census Bureau in the Detroit Regional Office. During the 1980s, Kurt organized and directed the data services program in the three-state census region.

Kurt's demographic research interests dovetail well with the essence of MIMIC's charge - namely, conducting a variety of research, education and service programs designed to improve the understanding of population and housing patters in Detroit and urban America. 

Kurt brings his demographic expertise to a number of local organizations, including United Way/Community Services, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Southeast Michigan Census Council. In addition, he is regularly sought out by local media and is asked by a variety of organizations throughout the region to speak on demographic trends.

Demographically, Kurt represents the beginning of the baby-boom generation and lives in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, with his wife (first and only), daughter (His son is married and lives in Chicago), a cat, 2 coupes and a new convertible