On his first day in office, President Obama, in his Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government , directed his administration to develop recommendations for an "Open Government Directive" that moves government towards being "transparent," "participatory," and "collaborative." At “Opening Doors: Finding the Keys to Open Government,” the speakers and audience discussed what the Obama administration hopes to achieve, the policy issues facing this administration, the Obama administration's vision for e-government, and financial and economic transparency.
Featured Speakers:
Vivek Kundra is the Federal Chief Information Officer. He formerly served in Mayor Fenty's cabinet as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the District of Columbia, responsible for technology operations and strategy for 86 agencies. He has been recognized among the top 25 CTO's in the country and as the 2008 IT Executive of the Year for his pioneering work to drive transparency, engage citizens and lower the cost of government operations. Before Kundra came to the District, Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed him Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the first dual cabinet role in the state's history.
Dr. Beth Noveck, who is heading up the implementation of the President’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, has been a professor of law and director of the Institute for Information Law and Policy at New York Law School. She served as a volunteer advisor on innovation in government for Obama for America and as a member of the Technology, Innovation and Government Reform Policy group for the Obama-Biden Transition.
Dan Chenok was a member of the "Technology, Innovation and Government Reform" group for the Obama-Biden Transition. Prior to his current position as senior vice president and general manager of Pragmatics, Inc., he served as the branch chief for information policy and technology in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) where he led a staff responsible for OMB oversight of federal policies regarding electronic government, computer security, privacy, budgeting for IT, information dissemination, and related issues. He also advised senior White House officials on major policy decisions and worked closely with the Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council and other interagency groups.
Katherine McFate is Program Officer for Government Performance and Accountability in the Ford Foundation's Governance and Civil Society Unit, where she examines and promotes the role of the State in achieving peace and social justice in the US and beyond. From 2002-2006, she was the Deputy Director of the Working Communities Program at the Rockefeller Foundation. Her work at Rockefeller focused on strengthening linkages across policy groups operating at the national, state and local levels; encouraging more effective use of research and strategic communications; and developing tools for network building and collaboration.
Moderator:
Patrice McDermott , Director, OpenTheGovernment.org
