Deadline TODAY for nominations to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act Advisory Committee

[Alexander Howard]

Hello --

My apologies for any cross-posting. As you may know, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) established the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee in 2014 to "foster dialog between the Administration and the requester community, solicit public comments, and develop consensus recommendations for improving FOIA administration and proactive disclosures."

To put it another way, the Committee tries to make FOIA work better! I was appointed to the 2022-2024 term of committee by the acting Archivist last year & we're making progress reviewing the outcomes of 8 years of recommendations.

Now, we need your help. Specifically, we need a new non-governmental member after Ginger McCall-Quintero resigned to re-enter public service. The deadline is today, so if you know someone passionate & knowledgeable about FOIA, please nominate them -- or yourself – by 5 PM ET.

Details from the federal FOIA ombuds, the Office of Government Information Services follow:
https://foia.blogs.archives.gov/2023/02/17/call-for-nominations-vacant-non-government-seat-on-foia-advisory-committee/

"A resignation from the FOIA Advisory Committee has created a vacancy for which we seek nominations. We are looking for a non-government FOIA expert who has passion for FOIA, a commitment to improving the FOIA process, and the ability to roll up their sleeves and work collaboratively to finalize recommendations. 

The new member will serve the remainder of the term through June 30, 2024, and will be expected to attend the public meetings remaining in the two-year Committee term. We expect that the new member will participate in the Thursday, June 8, 2023, meeting, which  will be virtual. We also expect the new member to volunteer for one or more of three working subcommittees: Implementation, Modernization, and Resources. We must receive nominations no later than 5 p.m. ET on Monday, February 27, 2023. To submit a nomination please provide your/the nominee’s name, title, phone number and email address. For both self-nominations and nominations by other individuals, please provide a short biography about the nominee (fewer than 250 words) summarizing your/their resumé or otherwise highlighting the contributions the nominee would bring to the Committee; and be sure to include the nominee’s resumé or curriculum vitae.

Email nominations to foia-adviso...@nara.gov. The Acting Archivist of the United States will review the nominations and make a final appointment prior to the Committee’s public meeting on June 8, 2023."

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Alexander B. Howard

Director, Digital Democracy Project | governing.digital

E-PluribusUnum.org | @OpenGov

410.849.9808 | @digiphile | He / him