Dr. Lila Valencia is Austin’s City Demographer. She leads the Demographics & Data team at the Planning Department and produces population estimates and projections to support the planning and decision-making of city departments, local businesses and organizations, and the community at large. Lila is an applied demographer with over 15 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis in both the public and private sectors. Before her role at the City, Lila was a senior demographer at the Texas Demographic Center where she monitored and reported demographic and socioeconomic trends to inform policymaking and planning for the state of Texas. She managed product development for the Center and led 2020 Census coordination efforts with varying stakeholders across the state. Previously, Lila served as senior research analyst and complaint specialist at the City of Austin’s Office of the Police Monitor where she fielded complaints of police misconduct allegations and produced analysis and annual reports documenting these allegations. Lila holds a Ph.D. in Applied Demography from the University of Texas at San Antonio, a Master’s from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Lila has lived in Austin for over 25 years and enjoys Austin’s green spaces, live music, and cultural events with her husband Michael, daughter Ada, and their family pet Amaya.