Caring for Our People; Committed to Our Work. AIR President David Myers Responds to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Like all organizations and institutions, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is responding to the global coronavirus pandemic. This crisis has had direct impact on our work as well as the lives of our staff, stakeholders, and our communities.

In these most unusual circumstances, we remain a mission-focused organization, committed to improving people’s lives through research, evaluation, and technical assistance, and to providing the best possible service for our staff, stakeholders, and those we serve.

AIR has recently taken two major actions to protect the well-being of our employees and support evidence-based strategies to stem the spread of this virus. As of March 16:

• Nearly all our employees are working remotely to promote ‘social distancing;’ and  
• Nearly all work-related travel has been canceled.

Our employees have the equipment and skills they need to effectively work outside the office and nearly all can securely access the information they need to continue their work. In some instances, these changes will require alternative solutions to ensure business continuity. We stand ready to address any challenges creatively and collaboratively with our partners. 

We also recognize that daily operations are being disrupted for many of our clients. Such disruptions include closures of K-12 school systems, colleges and universities, healthcare organizations, government agencies, and other partner entities. Please contact us if we can be of any assistance during this time; we stand ready to help.

As a mission-focused organization, we know that it is the most vulnerable populations who will feel the biggest impact from recent events. Even as we are concerned with our own health and well-being, it is my hope that—within the guidelines of your local officials—we will all consider how we can ease the burden of those who will struggle the most during this time.

We look forward to continuing our work together today and in the future.

Thank you,

David Myers

AIR President and CEO