Click here [1] to view a collection of photos from our 20th Anniversary Reception and Award Ceremony.
OMB Watch celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2003. In honor of the event, the board of directors and staff established the Public Interest Hall of Fame and the Public Interest Rising Star Awards. The inaugural class was honored on Oct. 9, 2003 at a reception in Washington, DC. BackgroundOMB Watch was founded in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which oversees regulation, the federal budget, information collection and dissemination, and much more. OMB Watch now concentrates on four policy areas: budget and government performance; the regulatory process; government secrecy; and policies affecting the nonprofit sector, particularly relating to free speech.
Over the years, our focus has shifted from solely monitoring OMB to a broader agenda of government accountability. We are guided by the belief that improving access to governmental decision-makers and encouraging citizen participation will lead to a more just and equitable society. From the start, OMB Watch made a strategic commitment to working with other nonprofit organizations, mostly through coalitions. We believe this helps to magnify our voice and, when advocacy is needed, strengthens our resolve and our chances for success. We attribute much of our success during the past two decades to partnering with a wide range of national, state, and local organizations.
Hall of Fame and Rising Star Awards
The Hall of Fame was created to honor the "unsung heroes" whose everyday work makes a difference in pursuing government accountability, citizen participation or social justice. The Rising Star Awards acknowledge the outstanding, dedicated work of younger people -- and to encourage their continued participation in the public interest. The twelve Hall of Fame and three Rising Star inductees were selected from a large pool of nominees from across the country. Each of the 15 people being inducted have earned the admiration and respect of their peers and are being honored for their commitment and leadership in pursuing public interest causes. This year's inductees are:
Public Interest Hall of Fame
Bill Chamberlin is director of the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project, a comprehensive study and ranking of open meetings and public records laws in all 50 states. Bill is the Joseph L. Brechner Eminent Scholar of Mass Communications at the University of Florida in the College of Journalism and Communications and is an affiliate professor in the College of Law.
Bill has been a champion of public access and the First Amendment for many years. He is particularly known for his leadership in pursuing freedom of information (FOI) at the state level. According to his nominator, he created "the model for state FOI movements across the nation." He also helped found the National Freedom of Information Coalition, a consortium of state FOI groups. In 2003, the Society of Professional Journalists awarded the project the Sunshine Award. He was among the first scholars to train students in FOI research, leaving a legacy of skilled professionals now working in journalism, higher education and the law.
Bill received a B.A. in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications from the University of Washington and an M.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin. He has written numerous articles for academic journals, law reviews, and the popular media about media law and has made hundreds of presentations on the subject.
Rick Cohen is the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. As such, his role is to challenge individual, foundation, and corporate grantmakers to be more accountable and to fund more social justice initiatives.
Rick was nominated in part for his continued courage and effectiveness as a foundation watchdog. His nominator noted that "Rick fearlessly does what few will do -- bite the hand that feeds him. And he does it in a nice way. Without Rick there would be far less focus on accountability in philanthropy."
The NonProfit Times named Rick to its 2003 Power and Influence Top 50 list of nonprofit leaders, saying, "Cohen has an edge to him, which can be good and bad in the Washington beltway. He has a knack for making people uncomfortable with his reasonableness and common sense."
Rick previously had a lively career in organizing and research in the community development field. He served as Vice President for Field Strategies at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and as Vice President of the Enterprise Foundation. Rick's commitment to progressive values is life long, including periods of public service, such as working with the Jersey City Department of Housing and Economic Development.
Chuck Collins is co-founder and program director of United for a Fair Economy (UFE) in Boston, Massachusetts. He has helped lead the organization to national prominence, especially for the work UFE has done to preserve the federal estate tax. In 2001, Chuck gave up his role as co-director in order to focus on the program work he believes in.
Chuck has dedicated his life to addressing income and wealth inequality. He has written extensively on the subject and spends much of his time on the road, educating community groups about budget and tax issues. In 1997, he co-founded Responsible Wealth, a UFE project in which business leaders and investors speak out against economic policies and corporate practices that lead to inequality. It was through this project that Chuck teamed up with Bill Gates, Sr. and others to stop the repeal of the estate tax. He and Gates recently co-authored a book on how conservatives carefully planned the repeal and why the tax should be preserved.
Chuck previously coordinated the HOME Coalition, a statewide affordable housing group in Massachusetts, and worked as a field organizer for the Tax Equity Alliance of Massachusetts. He has a B.A. from Hampshire College and an M.A. in community economic development from New Hampshire College.
Judy Conti is the co-founder and co-director of the D.C. Employment Justice Center (EJC), a three- year-old organization working for the rights of low-wage workers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Judy has blended a combination of legal firepower with skills in organizing and public education to make EJC a central player in the local workers' rights movement. She and her colleagues are making District government agencies more accessible and accountable, particularly to immigrant workers. She has successfully challenged the constitutionality of the District's workers' compensation program, and has recovered over half a million dollars on behalf of low wage workers in this region. Judy's nominator called her commitment to social justice "unparalleled, her enthusiasm unmatched."
Prior to starting EJC, Judy was with the law firm of James & Hoffman, where she represented labor unions and workers in employment-related legal actions. One example was a successful collective action lawsuit to stop Perdue Farms from classifying poultry workers as "independent contractors," illegally denying them benefits and overtime compensation.
Judy received her B.A. from Williams College and her law degree from the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law. She teaches part-time at several universities.
Anne Henry works at the Minnesota Disability Law Center where, for more than 25 years, she has demonstrated a commitment to protecting the rights of people with disabilities. A forceful legislative advocate as well as a plaintiff's attorney, she is described by her nominator as "the ultimate public interest attorney."
Much of Anne's current focus is on improving community services and health coverage for people with disabilities. She is a recognized leader among her peers in Minnesota, who regularly turn to her for drafting legislation, obtaining funding or commenting on administrative rulemaking.
Anne has handled a variety of legal cases for those with developmental disabilities, including zoning issues for community residences, social service issues, financial assistance cases, and special education. One particular success was a court case that resulted in the deinstitutionalization of all Minnesota children with disabilities. The children were moved into family homes, foster care, and adoptive homes.
Anne did her undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota and graduated from the Stanford University Law School. She is a member of the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities and many advisory committees and task forces.
Tom McGarity is a professor at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, where he holds the W. James Kronzer Chair in Trial and Appellate Advocacy. He is also president of the newly created Center for Progressive Regulation, a nonprofit think tank of scholars from across the country who are active on issues related to health, safety, and the environment.
Tom has spent three decades fighting for justice in such areas as environmental policy, worker health and safety protections, bioengineering, and drug safety. He has participated in landmark cases and testified and written extensively about the need for a strong regulatory framework.
His nominator noted that Tom "has not received nearly enough national recognition for the extraordinary contribution he has made. Given his level of energy and commitment, he is almost certainly only at mid-career but has accomplished enough to represent several lifetimes of achievement."
Prior to academia, Tom served as a law clerk to Judge William E. Doyle in the U.S. Court of Appeals and was an Attorney Advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Tom received his B.A. from Rice University and his law degree from the University of Texas.
Raul Meyreles has been executive director of La Cooperativa Campesina de California since 1982. La Cooperativa is a statewide association of farm worker programs. Its accomplishments have been recognized by three Governors, the State Legislature, and the Congress of the United States.
Raul has led the fight for job training funds and other vital services for migrant and seasonal farm workers in California. In 2001, he headed an effort to re-unify farm-worker organizations into one national body. As a result, the agencies successfully opposed the Bush administration's budget cuts in services to migrants and seasonal farm workers. In response, one person said, he is "one of the most mesmerizing, incredible men I've ever met... [He] brings people together, very empowering..."
Raul emigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1968 and has been a forceful advocate for farm workers ever since. In addition to La Cooperativa, he has directed a community action agency, a large migrant educational program, and worked briefly for the state of California.
Peg Seminario has worked for the AFL-CIO for more than 25 years and has directed the organization's efforts on safety and health issues since 1990. She has been a tireless advocate for worker protections, leading the labor movement's work on ergonomics, right-to-know, and other key safety issues.
Peg has also been pivotal in fighting the regulatory rollbacks that have been front and center in national politics, especially since the Contract with America. Her testimony before Congress, dialogue with the news media, and strategic sense of action have been an inspiration to people inside and outside of the labor movement.
Peg has served on a number of federal governmental advisory committees, including the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health. Trained as an industrial hygienist in the School of Public Health at Harvard University, Peg has blended her scientific knowledge with public policy skills, making her a very effective advocate.
As her nominator said, "When it comes to safety and health issues, she is the 'go to' person."
Susan Shaer is executive director of Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) in Arlington, Massachusetts, a national women's arms control and disarmament organization. Although she describes herself as an "accidental activist," others call her commitment to progressive tax issues, gender bias, anti-war efforts, and other social justice issues unparalleled.
During her ten years at WAND, Susan has tripled the number of chapters, doubled the staff size, and greatly expanded the work of the organization. She is known among activists throughout the country as someone who builds coalitions and successfully tackles challenging agendas.
Susan currently co-chairs Win Without War, an organization leading efforts against war in Iraq. She also serves on the steering committee of National Voice, a coalition of progressive groups registering voters for the 2004 election.
In 1987, Susan founded the Tax Equity Alliance for Massachusetts (TEAM), a leader in progressive tax policy in that state. She is president of the Ford Hall Forum, a public lecture series dedicated to the First Amendment. From the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, she worked with the League of Women Voters.
Bobby Silverstein is director of the Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy, where he helps nonprofits build an effective voice in public policy and provides technical assistance on disability matters to federal, state, and local policymakers.
During the 12 years he worked for Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Pat Williams, Bobby played a central, behind-the-scenes role in passing 17 key disability laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as disability-related amendments to numerous health, civil rights, education, and job training bills. Many credit his success to his legislative acumen, commitment to bipartisanship, and willingness to go that extra step to find a solution to the problem.
Bobby received a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. After law school, he worked for several years at the National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law, where he focused on education of disadvantaged children. He has also worked in the Office of Civil Rights in the then-Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and in a public interest law firm.
Helen Vinton is the assistant executive director and life quality director of the Southern Mutual Help Association in New Iberia, Louisiana. Southern Mutual is a rural community development corporation focused on anti-poverty issues. For nearly 25 years, Helen has used her scientific training to pursue environmental protections and sustainable development. She works with fishers, farmers, and former sugarcane workers to address such concerns as minimum wages, rapid coastal development, and depressed farm prices.
Helen was the first woman appointed to the Louisiana State Pesticide Commission where, against all odds, she helped establish an accountable pesticide reduction program. Even after huge fish kills and the dumping of pesticides on a rural school yard, the commission initially rejected her proposals. So Helen organized hearings involving famers and health care professionals. Environmental Protection Agency officials who attended the hearings were so appalled by what they heard that they finally pressured the commission to act.
A Sister of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Helen has also worked on agriculture and energy policy issues in the Midwest. She is a past editor of Rural Life Magazine for the National Catholic Rural Life Conference.
David Vladeck is associate professor of law and co-director of the Institute for Public Representation at the Georgetown University Law Center. He worked for 25 years -- ten as director -- at the Public Citizen Litigation Group, a nationally known public interest law firm. He is considered one of the nation's foremost public interest litigators.
In the occupational safety and health area, David's successful litigation strategy has won health standards for ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, benzene, and cadmium; and safety standards for workplace right-to-know in the non-manufacturing sector. He played a central role in a successful suit against the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to implement the Clean Air Amendments of 1990. In the 1980s, he successfully stopped the Reagan administration from impounding money appropriated for low-income housing and job training programs.
David has represented scholars, journalists, members of Congress, and public interest groups in perhaps more open-government cases than any other lawyer. He has a B.A. from Washington Square College at New York University, a law degree from Columbia University School of Law, and an advanced law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Public Interest Rising Stars
Christine Ahn, 30, is the economic and social human rights program coordinator at Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy in California. She has worked with grassroots organizations in Colorado, Washington, D.C., Jamaica, and on a Navajo reservation. While in Washington, she worked at the Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute, Bread for the City, and The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia.
Christine writes and speaks frequently on human rights, poverty, hunger, trade, globalization, North Korea, and philanthropy. She recently co-authored a publication on fees paid to foundation trustees and is the editor of a new book, Shafted: Free Trade and America's Working Poor.
Christine received her M.P.P. from Georgetown University and was a Ford Foundation New Voices Fellow at the Academy for Educational Development.
Terry Pastika, 33, is executive director and a community lawyer at the Citizen Advocacy Center in Elmhurst, Illinois, a local organization working to strengthen democracy by building civic skills and citizen participation. She has also been a community organizer, arranging what has been called a "civics boot camp with clout" to raise progressive activism in a conservative part of Chicago. Her nominator called her "a public advocate for the long haul, and an inspiration to all who work with her."
A former high school teacher, Terry graduated with a B.A. from Marquette University and a law degree from Creighton University School of Law in Nebraska. This background has helped her teach people about First Amendment and Open Meeting laws, the Freedom of Information Act, and other tax and community empowerment laws and policies.
Kikanza Ramsey-Ray, 33, is the senior community organizer and volunteer coordinator at the Labor/Community Strategy Center in Los Angeles. She has worked for years at the intersection between civil rights and environmental health issues.
She was a lead organizer of the Labor/Community Strategy Center's campaign to clean up Los Angeles oil refineries for four years, then helped found and lead the Center's Bus Riders Union/Sindicato de Pasajeros in the early 1990s. Now a large mass transit and environmental justice movement, the Bus Riders Union became a national model for multiracial organizing and mass transportation policy advocacy.
Kikanza grew up in South Los Angeles with her single mother and experienced first-hand a three-hour daily commute to school on the city's diesel public buses. She graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1991.
Other Awards
Two additional awards were given out at the OMB Watch 20th anniversary event:
The new Bass Ackwards Award was introduced to call attention to the greatest public policy folly in recent memory. This year's award went to President Bush's $1.7+ trillion tax cuts for the wealthy. In making the presentation, master of ceremonies John Podesta, president and founder of the Center for American Progress, quipped that the Bush tax cuts were nominated in the "Let Them Eat Yellow Cake" category. A unique button was created to commemorate this year's award and given to all participants.
A special award was presented to Patricia Bauman of the Bauman Foundation for her ongoing leadership and commitment to government accountability and social justice. Not only has Patricia been a key supporter of many important causes over the years, but as Ralph Neas, President of People for the America Way, noted in giving her the award, she is one of the most astute political thinkers in the progressive community. Through her strategic grantmaking, Patricia has helped lead efforts to strengthen public access to government information, particularly environmental information. She has long been a commentator on issues pertaining to the intersection of economics and environment.
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[1] http://www.ombwatch.org/node/9622