The Accountability 2021 project benefited from an active steering committee, which established topics on which working groups identified current problems and developed actionable recommendations. We appreciate the time and effort, especially, put forth by the leads and co-leads of each working group, to pull together these sets of recommendations. While each organization contributed to the end product, Open The Government bears sole responsibility for the end product.
- Alex Abdo, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
- Steve Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists
- Ryan Alexander, Hyphen Strategies, LLC
- Gary Bass, Bauman Foundation*
- Tom Blanton, National Security Archive
- Danielle Brian, Project On Government Oversight
- Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense
- Austin Evers, American Oversight
- Caroline Fredrickson, Georgetown Law and Brennan Center
- Heather Higginbottom, Former Deputy Secretary of State*
- Karen Hobart-Flynn, Common Cause
- Sally Katzen, Former Government Official and Professor, New York University School of Law*
- Kevin Kosar, American Enterprise Institute
- Conrad Martin, Fund for Constitutional Government
- Andy Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Lisa Rosenberg, Open The Government*
- Tom Saenz, MALDEF
- Hina Shamsi, American Civil Liberties Union
- Thomas Susman, Strategic Advisor, American Bar Association*
- Anne Tindall, Protect Democracy
- Anne Weismann, FOIA Litigator
- Robert Weissman, Public Citizen*
- John Wonderlich, Sunlight Foundation
* Members of the executive committee
- Vanita Gupta, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Mark De La Iglesia, Open Society Foundations
- Sarah Knight, Open Society Foundations
- Rick Blum, Sixteenth Street Consulting LLC
Working Groups:
Co-Leads:
- Emily Manna (Open The Government)
- Anne Weismann (FOIA Litigator)
Participants:
- Alex Abdo (Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University)
- Steve Aftergood (Federation of American Scientists)
- Gary Bass (Bauman Foundation)
- Tom Blanton (National Security Archive)
- Danielle Brian (Project On Government Oversight)
- Steve Ellis (Taxpayers for Common Sense)
- Austin Evers (American Oversight)
- Michael Halpern (Union of Concerned Scientists)
- Susan Harley (Public Citizen)
- Alex Howard (Demand Progress)
- Kevin Kosar (American Enterprise Institute)
- Adam Marshall (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)
- Kel McClanahan (National Security Counselors)
- Irvin McCullough (Government Accountability Project)
- Michael Morisy (MuckRock)
- Kate Oh (American Civil Liberties Union)
- Andrew Rosenberg (Union of Concerned Scientists)
- Hina Shamsi (American Civil Liberties Union)
- Rita Siemion (Human Rights First)
- Tom Susman (American Bar Association)
- Melissa Wasser (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)
Co-Leads:
- Steve Ellis (Taxpayers for Common Sense)
- Anne Tindall (Protect Democracy)
Participants:
- Steve Aftergood (Federation of American Scientists)
- Sam Berger (Center for American Progress)
- Danielle Brian (Project On Government Oversight)
- Steve Ellis (Taxpayers for Common Sense)
- Austin Evers (American Oversight)
- Lisa Gilbert (Public Citizen)
- Elizabeth Hempowicz (Project On Government Oversight)
- Karen Hobart-Flynn (Common Cause)
- Kevin Kosar (American Enterprise Institute)
- Emily Manna (Open The Government)
- Irvin McCullough (Government Accountability Project)
- Bill Murphy (Good Government Now)
- Kate Oh (American Civil Liberties Union)
- Lisa Rosenberg (Open The Government)
- Hina Shamsi (American Civil Liberties Union)
- Rita Siemion (Human Rights First)
- Anne Tindall (Protect Democracy)
- Anne Weismann (FOIA Litigator)
- Robert Weissman (Public Citizen)
Co-Leads:
- Austin Evers (American Oversight)
- Beth Rotman (Common Cause)
Participants:
- Jennifer Ahearn (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington)
- Ryan Alexander (Hyphen Strategies, LLC)
- Sam Berger (Center for American Progress)
- Caroline Fredrickson (Georgetown Law and Brennan Center)
- Karen Hobart-Flynn (Common Cause)
- Delaney Marsco (Campaign Legal Center)
- Kedric Payne (Campaign Legal Center)
- Anne Tindall (Protect Democracy)
- Robert Weissman (Public Citizen)
Co-Leads:
- Irvin McCullough (Government Accountability Project)
- Andrew Rosenberg (Union of Concerned Scientists)
Participants:
- Alex Abdo (Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University)
- Ryan Alexander (Hyphen Strategies, LLC)
- Danielle Brian (Project On Government Oversight)
- Chip Gibbons (Defending Rights and Dissent)
- Michael Halpern (Union of Concerned Scientists)
- Karen Hobart-Flynn (Common Cause)
- Kel McClanahan (National Security Counselors)
- Melissa Wasser (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)
Lead:
- Robert Weissman* (Public Citizen)
Participating Organizations
- Steve Aftergood (Federation of American Scientists)
- Gary Bass (Bauman Foundation)
- Sam Berger (Center for American Progress)
- Austin Evers (American Oversight)
- Brendan Fischer (Campaign Legal Center)
- Caroline Fredrickson (Georgetown Law and Brennan Center)
- Michael Halpern (Union of Concerned Scientists)
- Anne Tindall (Protect Democracy)
- Robert Weissman (Public Citizen)
- Anne Weismann (FOIA Litigator)
Co-Leads:
- Hannah Bassett (Open The Government)
- Liz Borkowski (Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University)
Participants:
- Gary Bass (Bauman Foundation)
- Molly Bangs (Equity Forward)
- Tom Blanton (National Security Archive)
- Jared Bernstein (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
- Austin Evers (American Oversight)
- Susan Harley (Public Citizen)
- Lauren Harper (National Security Archive)
- Irvin McCullough (Government Accountability Project)
- Kel McClanahan (National Security Counselors)
- Sean Moulton (Project on Government Oversight)
- Bartlett Naylor (Public Citizen)
- Zain Rizvi (Public Citizen)
- Heidi Shierholz (Economic Policy Institute)
- Melissa Wasser (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)