News Release
October 11, 2015
Contact: Dan Bevarly • 239.823.1811
dbevarly@nfoic.org
NFOIC Names New Officers/Board Members at Annual FOI Summit
The National Freedom of Information Coalitiontoday announced its 2016 officers and new board members during the 2015 FOI Summitin Denver. The new officers include:
- Mal Leary, President (vice president, Maine Freedom of Information Coalition)
- Katherine Garner, Vice President (executive director Florida First Amendment Foundation)
- Mark Horvit, Treasurer (executive director, Investigative Reporters and Editors)
- Megan Rhyne, Secretary (executive director, Virginia Coalition for Open Government)
Mal Leary has been a journalist throughout his life, working in both Washington D.C. and in Maine as both a reporter and editor. He has won numerous awards for his reporting, both in broadcast and in print and currently reports on government in Maine for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Mal has been a long time member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
“I am honored to be elected president of the NFOIC, a coalition of state and regional groups that advocate for open government, Said Leary. “We have reached a cooperative agreements with Investigative Reporters and Editors and with the Society of Professional Journalists to expand the help we can offer those taking legal action to encored public records and open meetings laws."
NFOIC also announced adding three new board members who will serve for three year terms:
- David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona School of Journalism and chair of the Society of Professional Journalists
- Deborah Fisher, executive director Tennessee Coalition for Open Government
- Jeff Roberts, executive director, Colorado Freedom of information Coalition
- Justin Silverman, executive director, New England First Amendment Coalition
Veteran newspaper editor and FOI pioneer Pete Weitzel was inducted into the State Open Government Hall of Fame.
Recognizing the summit’s financial sponsors, NFOIC thanks Bloomberg and the Associated Press for their generous help to make the summit possible. NFOIC also thanks the official summit sponsors Ethics and Excellence in Journalism, Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, and the John S. and James L Knight Foundation, particularly for its support of the Knight Litigation Grant program administered by NFOIC.