2008 FOI Summit Schedule

Friday, May 9

Registration opens 8:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Coalition Care and Feeding

How do you keep that fledgling FOI group going, or take the next step? Join veterans of the FOI game who have "been there, done that" for tips on sustainability.

Featuring: Michele Earl-Hubbard, Past President of the Washington Coalition for Open Government; Joey Senat, Associate Professor at the School of Journalism & Broadcasting at Oklahoma State University; and Hollie Manheimer, Executive Director of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

Moderated by Mal Leary, President of the Maine Coalition for Open Government.

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10:30 – 11:45 p.m.

FOI Reform Efforts: Rewriting your state's laws?

All over the country, efforts aimed at systemic FOI reform are underway. How did these movements start, and how can your state join the party? We'll hear from several states in the midst of FOI overhauls.

Featuring: Teri Henning, General Counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association; Jan Murphy, Capitol Bureau Chief for The Patriot-News; and Kathleen Richardson, Director of the Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Moderated by Craig J. Staudenmaier, Managing Partner at Nauman Smith Shissler & Hall, LLP.

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Lunch: 12:00 – 1:45 p.m.

Keynote Speech

Ted Gup, author of Nation of Secrets: The Threat to Democracy and the American Way of Life. A former investigative reporter for The Washington Post and Time magazine, he is also the author of the bestseller, The Book of Honor: Covert Lives And Classified Deaths At The CIA (Doubleday, 2000), and is the Shirley Wormser Professor of Journalism at Case Western Reserve University.

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2:00 – 3:15 p.m.:

FOI 2.0: Wikis and podcasts and blogs, oh my!

The FOI movement has gone decidedly high-tech in recent years, with a host of nifty new tools that encourage information sharing and promise to revolutionize the way we use records. We'll hear from a variety of folks out on the cutting edge.

Featuring: Edwin Bender, Executive Director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics; James G. Blaine, Editor of passopenrecords.org, a blog sponsored by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association; David Moore, Executive Director of Participatory Politics Foundation, and Adrian Holovaty, Founder of EveryBlock.

Moderated by Hyde Post, President, Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

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3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Building the Perfect Ombudsman's Office

Across the country, states are constructing new offices to mediate FOI disputes and serve as a bully pulpit for open government. Several veterans at the ombudsman biz and a scholar studying the issue discuss the various models out there and offer suggestions for those considering building their own.

Featuring: Harry Hammitt, Editor/publisher of Access Reports; Chip Stewart, Assistant Professor at the Schieffer School of Journalism at Texas Christian University; and Maria Everett, Executive Director of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

Moderated by Mitchell W. Pearlman, Executive Director Emeritus, Connecticut FOI Commission.

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5:30 – 7:00 p.m.:

(A) Just 'Cause Cocktail Hour (and a half)

Struggling mightily for a just cause is hard work.

So, after a tough day of fighting for open government and freedom of information, a little relaxation is called for.

And is there a better way to relax than to partake of a refreshment (or two) with your fellow combatants?

As a matter of fact, there is.

To partake of a refreshment and free food!

Join us from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Friday evening for an abundance of free food and tales of FOI fights both past and present.

Cash bar available.

Just because.

Moderated by Charles N. Davis, Executive, NFOIC.

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Saturday, May 10

Registration: 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m

NFOIC Annual Members Meeting

A continental breakfast will be provided during the meeting.

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9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

My state is worse than your state—or is it?

Comparing state FOI laws on key issues.

Featuring: William (Bill) F. Chamberlin, Director of the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project; Courtney Barclay, Ph.D. student at the University of Florida; Tim Potts, Co-founder of Democracy Rising Pennsylvania.

Moderated by Charles Davis, Executive Director of NFOIC.

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10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Sunshine Week Roundtable

Sunshine Week has become a real rallying point for FOI advocates nationwide. The people behind the movement join us for a brainstorming session on what's happening this year and what we can do in Sunshine Week 2009.

Featuring: Debra Gersh Hernandez, Coordinator of Sunshine Week; Susan Schwartz, Staff Writer for the Press Enterprise Online; and Pete Weitzel, Coordinator of Coalition of Journalists for Open Government; James Brady, Executive Editor & Vice President of Washington Post.com.

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Lunch: 12:00 – 1:45 p.m.

Heroes of the 50 States Award

The State Open Government Hall of Fame honors those whose lifetime commitment to citizen access, open government and freedom of information has left a legacy at the state and local level. Update: Bill F. Chamberlin is awarded with induction into The Open Government Hall of Fame..

Keynote Speech

Toni Locy, Shott Chair of Journalism at West Virginia University Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. Locy faces continuing legal threats for not revealing her sources for stories about the 2001 anthrax attacks. Locy began her career at the former Pittsburgh Press. She also was a reporter at the Philadelphia Daily News, Boston Globe, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and Associated Press. Her specialty was covering federal courts and law enforcement.

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2:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Beltway Update

What's happening on the federal FOI scene? What's happening with other access-related legislation and policy on Capitol Hill? The scoop from Washington from some of the biggest names in access advocacy.

Featuring: Rick Blum, Coordinator of the Sunshine in Government Initiative; Meredith Fuchs, General Counsel of the National Security Archive; and Charles D. "Chuck" Tobin, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP.

Moderated by Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

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3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Identity Theft

The looming specter of identity theft pops up in statehouses across the country, year after year. We've assembled some of the leading experts on the subject to discuss how identity theft legislation intersects with freedom of information law.

Featuring: Robert Ellis Smith, Publisher of Privacy Journal; Ari Schwartz, Vice President and COO of the Center for Democracy and Technology; Eric J. Ellman, Vice President and Counsel for State Government and Federal Regulatory Affairs for the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA).

Moderated by Daniel J. Metcalfe, Executive Director of the Collaboration on Government Secrecy.

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