2010 FOI Summit Panelists – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Jennifer Cox

Development Director, Taxpayers for Common Sense

Jennifer Cox has extensive experience in environmental advocacy, fund development, and nonprofit management. After working on government performance and strategic planning at the U.S. Department of the Interior, she spent ten years at the national League of Conservation Voters increasing foundation support of civic engagement programs through a period of tremendous organizational growth. Jen then raised funds at progressive think tank Campaign for America’s Future/Apollo Alliance and was VP of Operations at green marketer ecoAmerica. As an independent consultant, Jen managed grants for a small family foundation and has advised a variety of political and advocacy organizations on grant writing and funding strategies.

Participating in the panel Coalition Sustainability and Fundraising at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Lucy Dalglish

Executive Director, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Prior to assuming the position of Executive Director in January 2000, Dalglish was a media lawyer for almost five years in the trial department of the Minneapolis law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP. From 1980-93, Dalglish was a reporter and editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. She was awarded the Wells Memorial Key, the highest honor bestowed by the Society of Professional Journalists, in 1995 for her work as Chairman of SPJ's national Freedom of Information Committee from 1992-95 and for her service as a national board member from 1988-91. She also was named to the inaugural class of the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame in 1996, and serves on the board of directors of NFOIC.

Moderating the panel FOI Litigation at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

David Donald

Data editor, The Center for Public Integrity

David Donald leads the computer-assisted reporting program at the Center. His current interest is in financial, economic, and housing analysis and new tools for data analysis. Prior to joining the Center in 2008, he served as training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting for five years. He conducted more than 150 training events for thousands of journalists in the United States and internationally with a focus on investigative skills and data analysis to uncover fraud and other governmental abuse. Donald also spent 11 years at the Savannah Morning News in Georgia where he was research and projects editor.

Participating in the panel Transparency in the Digital Age at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

Ashley Messenger

Media lawyer

Ashley Messenger is a media lawyer with 16 years of experience representing a wide range of media organizations. From 2002 to April of this year, she was Editorial Counsel to U.S. News & World Report, handling all editorial-related legal issues from libel, to subpoenas, to FOIA and other newsgathering issues. Prior to that, she was the McCormick-Tribune Fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She has previous experience as a journalist, having been a radio talk show host at KTEG-FM in Albuquerque, NM, and she teaches a media law class for the graduate and undergraduate journalism programs at American University in Washington, D.C.

Participating in the panel FOI Litigation at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Andrea Flynn Mogensen

Sole practitioner specializing in open-government litigation and general counsel for two Florida citizen groups

Andrea Flynn Mogensen, a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, is a sole practitioner based in Sarasota, Florida, specializing in open-government litigation. Ms. Mogensen was lead counsel in the 2009 landmark open-government case, Lorenzo v. City of Venice, in which the citizen plaintiff obtained broad remedial relief and a record $780,000 in attorneys fees after ten months of fierce litigation. She was the recipient of the 2009 James C. Adkins Sunshine Litigation Award. Ms. Mogensen is General Counsel for two Florida citizen groups whose mission is to enforce Florida’s open-government laws. Ms. Mogensen is licensed to practice law in Florida, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Participating in the panel FOI Litigation at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Miriam M. Nisbet

Director, Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), National Archives and Records Administration

Miriam M. Nisbet is the inaugural director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), National Archives and Records Administration, the new FOIA ombudsman office created by the 2007 amendments to the federal Freedom of Information Act. Ms. Nisbet previously worked for UNESCO, the American Library Association, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Nisbet previously worked for UNESCO, the American Library Association, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the U.S. Department of Justice. (You can listen to a recent interview with Ms. Nisbet that Federal News Radio conducted here, and read a recent article from Main Justice here.)

Keynote speaker for the 2010 FOI Summit.

Chris Pabon

Director of Development, Project on Government Oversight

Prior to joining Project on Government Oversight, Chris worked as a Director of Foundation Relations and Planned Giving at Friends of the Earth for over 10 years. He has worked within the development offices of the College of Pan American Agriculture and Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Chris served from 2003-2009 as the coordinator for DC Fundraisers, an organization with 500 members which organized monthly brownbags for its members. Chris was elected as a delegate for Washington DC to the Non Profit Congress in 2006. Chris has worked in all aspects of fundraising including event organizing, direct mail, donor relations, combined federal campaign, planned giving and is also an instructor with the Social Action and Leadership School for Activists.

Moderating the panel Coalition Sustainability and Fundraising at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Katherine Sawyer

Fundraiser for community-level, national, and international nonprofits

Kathy Sawyer has worked for over 14 years in fundraising for community-level, national, and international nonprofits focused on community-building, conservation, green building, local and international peacebuilding, and other concerns. She holds a B.A. in French from Illinois State University and an M.A. in International Development from American University’s School of International Service.

Participating in the panel Coalition Sustainability and Fundraising at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

J.H. Snider

President, iSolon.org

J.H. ("Jim") Snider is the President of iSolon.org. In 2008, he was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. From 1999-2000, he was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in Communications and Public Policy, where he worked on legislation under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Senate commerce and judiciary committees. His articles on open government have been published in numerous scholarly, trade, and popular publications. Snider has a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University, an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, and an undergraduate degree from Harvard College.

Participating in the panel Transparency in the Digital Age at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

Ginger Stanley

Executive Director, Virginia Press Association/Virginia Press Services, Inc.

Mrs. Stanley started her newspaper career in 1972 at the Hanover Herald-Progress, in Ashland, Virginia. In 1984, Mrs. Stanley joined the Virginia Press Association in a newly created position of advertising director, and in 1988, she was promoted to her present position. Among her responsibilities for the Association is chief lobbyist in the Virginia General Assembly. In 2007, Mrs. Stanley was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame for her substantial achievements that have brought honor to the profession and renown to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Mrs. Stanley was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists with the 1994 George Mason award for her outstanding contributions to Virginia journalism.

Participating in the panel FOI Litigation at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Douglas Stewart

Director of Foundation Relations, Center for Health, Environment & Justice

Douglas Stewart is director of foundation relations with the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, which empowers people to build healthy communities and works to prevent harm to human health caused by chemicals and environmental pollution. Stewart has been raising money from foundations and individuals for progressive nonprofit organizations since 1999. His experience includes being a program officer at the Turner Foundation, director of development and communications with 1000 Friends of Maryland and director of program communications with the Atlanta pedestrian advocacy organization PEDS. An avid bicyclist, Douglas also served as president of the board of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

Participating in the panel Coalition Sustainability and Fundraising at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Thomas M. Susman

Director, Governmental Affairs Office of the American Bar Association

Mr. Susman is Director of the Governmental Affairs Office of the American Bar Association. Prior to joining the ABA in 2008, he was a partner in the Washington Office of Ropes & Gray LLP for over 25 years. There his work included counseling, litigation, and lobbying on a wide range of regulatory, antitrust, lobbying, ethics, and information law issues. He is also a nationally recognized expert on lobbying ethics, having written and taught extensively on the topic. He co-edited the American Bar Association’s Lobbying Manual; served as an adjunct professor on lobbying at The American University’s Washington College of Law; and chairs the Ethics Committee of the American League of Lobbyists.

Moderating the panel Transparency in the Digital Age at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

John Wonderlich

Policy Director, Sunlight Foundation

John Wonderlich is the Policy Director for the Sunlight Foundation and one of the nation's foremost advocates for open government. John spearheads Sunlight's goal of changing the culture of the federal government by opening up key data sources and expanding the use of new media tools by elected officials in order to make them more accountable to their constituents. He is one of the foremost authorities on lobbying reform, franking and social media use in Congress as well as efforts to shed light on the congressional legislative process.

Participating in the panel Transparency in the Digital Age at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.