Meet the Demographers
Dr. Shelley Lapkoff and Dr. Jeanne Gobalet began their collaboration in 1990 with a series of political redistricting projects for more than a dozen jurisdictions. In 1992, Dr. Gobalet joined Dr. Lapkoff as a principal of the firm, which became Lapkoff & Gobalet Demographic Research, Inc.
The firm merged with National Demographics Corporation in 2024, expanding its capacity to assist California local governments.
Both Drs. Lapkoff and Gobalet have been active in the Population Association of America, the professional demographers’ association. They are writing a book, Forecasting School Enrollments: Demographic Tools to Help Schools Prepare for Change, which is intended for both demographers and school administrators. It explains forecasting techniques and other demographic methods for school administrators.
Shelley Lapkoff
Shelley earned a Ph.D. in Demography and an M.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. She started her consulting career while a graduate student. She now specializes in expert witness services on various demographic subjects as well as political redistricting. Dr. Lapkoff is recognized as a national leader in the field of school district demography and has served as chair of the Applied Demography Committee of the Population Association of America. She founded Lapkoff Demographic Research in 1989 (now Lapkoff & Gobalet), providing consulting services to Kaiser Permanente and several San Francisco Bay Area school districts (enrollment forecasting). She has taught Applied Demography in the U.C. Berkeley Demography Department.
Jeanne Gobalet
Jeanne earned four degrees from Stanford University, including an M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Sociology (Demography). She specializes in political redistricting, spatial analysis, and expert witness services. She has published scholarly papers and a book and has made many public presentations. She met Dr. Lapkoff during a year as a postdoctoral fellow and visiting scholar in the University of California, Berkeley, Demography Department. She has testified as an expert witness for cases involving demographic issues, political redistricting, and disparate impact. Her expertise in spatial analysis and GIS software contribute to Lapkoff & Gobalet’s success as an applied demography firm.