Chief FOIA Officers Council
The Chief FOIA Officers Council is composed of the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), the Director of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Department of Justice, and agency Chief FOIA Officers.
Co-Chairs: Alina M. Semo, Director of OGIS and Bobak Talebian, Director of OIP
The Council is charged with:
- developing recommendations for increasing FOIA compliance and efficiency;
- disseminating information about agency experiences, ideas, best practices, and innovative approaches related to FOIA;
- identifying, developing, and coordinating initiatives to increase transparency and compliance with FOIA; and
- promoting the development and use of common performance measures for agency compliance with FOIA.
Council meetings are open to the public and notice of all meetings will be provided in the Federal Register at least ten business days in advance. Please see this webpage and OIP's webpage for further information.
Technology Committee (formerly known as the Technology Subcommittee)
Co-Chairs: Eric Stein, U.S. Department of State and Michael Sarich, Veterans Health Administration
In response to a recommendationof the 2016-2018 term of the FOIA Advisory Committee, the Archivist of the United States proposed that the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council seek to establish a technology subcommittee, in partnership with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council, to study the utilization and deployment of technology in FOIA programs across agencies, and identify best practices and recommendations that can be implemented across agencies.
In September 2018, the CFO Council co-chairs established the Technology Subcommittee (later renamed as the Technology Committee). Two senior FOIA professionals at the Department of State and the Veterans Health Administration co-chair the Committee; membership includes FOIA professionals from the Departments of Homeland Security and the Interior, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Institute of Library and Museum Services, American Battle Monuments Commission, Social Security Administration, Air Force Declassification Office, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Committee liaises with OIP and OGIS.