Speaker Biographies
Charley Barth serves as the 8th Director of the Federal Register. Reporting directly to the Archivist of the United States, he is responsible for providing access to the official text of Federal laws, Presidential documents, Administrative regulations, Notices, and Descriptions of Federal Organizations as well as their programs and activities. He is also the executive in charge of administering the Electoral College and the Constitutional amendment process. Mr. Barth was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in July of 2012.
Throughout his 20 year career, Mr. Barth has held a wide variety of positions across the United States Government. Mr. Barth began his career in Government service with the United States Senate where he worked as an intern for Senator Carl Levin (Michigan). Mr. Barth accepted a position with the Government as a contract specialist at the Naval Information Systems Management Center (NISMC) where he managed major Information Technology (IT) acquisitions. Mr. Barth next accepted a position with the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) where he worked as a Program Manager and Subject Matter Expert in the Information Management (IM) program. Upon the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Mr. Barth accepted a position as the first Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act officer for DHS. Following his position with DHS, he accepted an offer from the DON to serve as the Director of Records under the Secretary of the Navy Staff.
Mr. Barth is a Senior Fellow for Ball State University. He is a Charter Member and was previously on the Board of Directors for the Federal Information and Records Managers (FIRM) Council. He was previously a member of the Federal Records Council and has received certification from NARA as a Federal Records Manager. He previously served as the Chairman on the Advisory Committee on the Electronic Records Archives (ACERA) for the Archivist of the United States. He serves on the Digital Government Institute’s E-Discovery, Records & Information Management Conference Education Advisory Committee. During his service to the Government, Mr. Barth has appeared in various periodicals including Federal Computer Week, Government Computer News and Government Executive. In 2007 his office was awarded the Archivist Achievement award by the National Archives for outstanding achievement in records management. In 2010, Mr Barth traveled to Iraq to assist the Joint Staff headquarters with record management activities. He was selected to assist United States Forces Iraq with preserving records of armed conflict from theater. In 2012, his office received the Harvard University bright idea award for innovative achievement with the Federal Register web site.
Mr. Barth was born and raised in Michigan and attended Ball State University on a full ride football scholarship. At Ball State he received his BS degree in Political Science with a minor in Military Science. Mr. Barth also attended Webster University and received a Master of Management degree in Procurement and Acquisitions Management. Mr. Barth and his wife Julie reside in Stafford, VA. They have two sons, Christian and Roman.
Leland E. (Lee) Beck served in all three branches of the United States government for over 30 years, predominantly as a Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Lee retired from government service in 2011 and practices law in Washington, D.C., focusing on federal administrative rulemaking and adjudication and related litigation and government relations. Lee represents a wide variety of interests in their relations with the United States government, including State governments, corporations, and trade and other associations. Lee is also the author of the Federal Regulations Advisor blog: www.fedregsadvisor.com. Lee received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Kent State University, his J.D. from The American University, and his LL.M. from the Harvard Law School.
Emily S. Bremer is an Attorney Advisor of the Administrative Conference of the United States. Ms. Bremer was an associate in Wiley Rein LLP’s telecommunications and appellate litigation practice, where she litigated cases at the trial and appellate levels involving complex federal preemption, jurisdiction, administrative law, and constitutional issues.
She also represented clients in proceedings before the FCC, counseled telecommunications companies on the scope of their federal rights, and drafted amicus curiae briefs filed with federal appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Previously, Ms. Bremer served as law clerk to Hon. Andrew J. Kleinfeld of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Bremer graduated from New York University School of Law, where she was a student editor for the International Journal of Constitutional Law and the Executive Notes Editor of the Journal of Law & Liberty. Ms. Bremer received her undergraduate degree in Politics with honors from New York University, where she was an accomplished debater in the American Parliamentary Debate Association. She lives in Arlington with her husband, Dan, and their two adorable kitties.
Scott P. Cooper is vice president of government relations at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In this position, Mr. Cooper serves as ANSI’s spokesperson and liaison to Federal, State and local government agencies and to Congress and congressional staff.
He supports the activities of the ANSI National Policy Committee and the ANSI Government Member Forum, working with the members of these committees to develop and advance the Institute’s positions and policies at all levels of government. In turn, he identifies and communicates to ANSI stakeholders emerging issues of importance for the standards and conformity assessment community.
Mr. Cooper joined ANSI staff in April 2007 with a broad range of experience in industry, not-for-profit organizations, academia and government. He has more than a decade of experience as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives and service at the Department of Commerce and also the Peace Corps As a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, he taught courses on the modern global marketplace and worked on projects ranging from nanotechnology research to dispute resolution.
As a consultant, he worked to advance multi-industry healthcare reform. And as a former manager of global technology policy at Hewlett-Packard, he helped to develop and lead policy efforts in areas such as privacy, consumer redress and global governance. Mr. Cooper also served as a former director of global electronic commerce at the American Electronics Association and as a former manager of telecommunications policy at Intel.
Mr. Cooper holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economic history from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in political science from George Washington University. He and his wife, Sheila C. Bair, have two children; they reside in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
Chris Drake is Deputy General Counsel to Governor Dannel P. Malloy (D) of Connecticut. Chris joined the Malloy Administration in March 2011. He previously was a litigator with a firm in Hartford, CT and before that worked as a clerk to a federal Magistrate Judge. He graduated the University of Connecticut School of Law (Hartford, CT) in 2005 and Fordham University (Bronx, NY), B.A. in Political Science, in 2002. He lives in Middletown, Connecticut, with his wife Rachel and daughter Brigid.
Chris is the business manager for Connecticut’s Regulations Modernization project.
Charles Fizer is a Senior Software Engineer at Fairfax Data Systems. He specializes in architecting and developing content management solutions, primarily with public sector clients. Charles holds certifications in IBM’s enterprise content management product suite. He graduated from Colby College (Waterville, ME) in 2005 with a B.S. in Computer Science. Charles is currently serving as the architect for Connecticut’s Regulations Modernization project.
Abigail M. Hammond is with the NC Office of Administrative Hearings, serving as counsel to the Rules Review Commission. In this position, she reviews rules promulgated by agencies and advises the Commission whether these rules are suitable for inclusion in the NC Administrative Code. Prior to working for the Office of Administrative Hearings, Abby worked for another state agency in a variety of roles ranging from adjudicating motions, clerking, serving as a rule coordinator, and serving as agency legal counsel.
Prior to living in Raleigh, NC, Abby practiced family law in the Nashville, TN area. Abby graduated from undergraduate school at Clemson University, and attended law school at the University of South Carolina School of Law and as a visiting student at Vanderbilt Law School.
Waldo Jaquith is the director of the U.S. Open Data Institute. Previously, he worked in open data with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In 2011, in acknowledgement of his open data work, Jaquith was named a “Champion of Change” by the White House and, in 2012, an “OpenGov Champion” by the Sunlight Foundation. He lives near Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife and son.
Seamus Kraft is the Executive Director of The OpenGov Foundation (www.OpenGovFoundation.org), a fiercely non-partisan, non-profit transforming the process and policy of our democracy for the Internet Age. He steers two pathbreaking software projects reinventing local, state, and federal government. Madison – the leading digital policymaking platform in the United States – and AmericaDecoded.org – the first ever free, modern, online law library built for everyday Americans.
Combining his passions for technology, education, and public service, Seamus co-founded OpenGov with U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa to help citizens be heard by their elected officials and government workers fulfill their responsibilities with the most user friendly tools possible. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Director of Digital Strategy and Press Secretary for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he was named one of the “20 Most Innovative People in Democracy” by TechCrunch.
When not working at The OpenGov Foundation, Seamus reads voraciously, golfs passably, and catches every Phish concern he can. A native of Marblehead, MA, Seamus studied classical political philosophy, scholastic theology, and military history at Georgetown University. Email him at Seamus@OpenGovFoundation.org.
Kimberly Leung is a Consultant at Fairfax Data Systems. She specializes in translating functional requirements into tangible, user-centric IT solutions through project management and business analysis. Kim graduated from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) in 2010 with a B.A. in Sociology. She is currently serving as the project manager for Connecticut’s Regulations Modernization project.
Molly Masich manages and directs the production and publication of the North Carolina Register and the North Carolina Administrative Code, and manages the administrative support to the Rules Review Commission. She also serves as a liaison between OAH and the General Assembly, the Office of State Budget and Management, and state agencies in rulemaking aspects. She carries out all other rulemaking responsibilities of the office and serves as the Codifier on behalf of the Chief Administrative Law Judge. Molly is a graduate of UNC-W with a degree in Criminal Justice, a Certified Public Manager, and a member of the national organization for administrative codes and registers (ACR).
Amber Cronk May is with the NC Office of Administrative Hearings, serving as counsel to the Rules Review Commission. In that position, she reviews rules promulgated by agencies and advises the Commission whether these rules are suitable for inclusion in the NC Administrative Code. Prior to working for the Office of Administrative Hearings, Amber was employed with another state agency, working closely with rules. Amber graduated from Meredith College and NC Central School of Law.
Amanda J. Reeder is with the NC Office of Administrative Hearings, serving as counsel to the Rules Review Commission. In this position, she reviews rules promulgated by agencies and advises the Commission whether these rules are suitable for inclusion in the NC Administrative Code. Prior to working for the Office of Administrative Hearings, Amanda worked for a state agency as a rulemaking coordinator for four years. Prior to learning the joys of the NC Administrative Code, Amanda was in private practice. Amanda graduated from UNC Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) and NC Central School of Law.
David Suess is the CEO and Chief Architect at Fairfax Data Systems. With 15+ years of experience in IT consulting, David has collaborated with a range of public sector entities to implement streamlined, content-driven solutions. He has led data migration, data capture, and case management engagements at various agencies at the state and local levels within Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois and Rhode Island. David graduated from Villanova University (Villanova, PA) with a B.S. in Computer Science. He is currently serving as the engagement director for Connecticut’s Regulations Modernization project.
Dr. Jim Tozzi served in five Presidential Administrations, four of which he was a regulatory official in the White House Office Management and Budget where he was instrumental in initiating the centralized review of agency regulations. He has degrees in chemical engineering, business and economics.
