Sunshine Center to explore public records, open meetings at annual fall workshop – Nov. 3

The event is free and for a wide audience, including the general public, media, public servants, civic organizations, legal professionals, students, educators — anyone with a stake in open government.

Academic experts in state government, journalists and public officials will share newfound research on Sunshine laws in the state and examine the ways in which news media organizations and government officials can work more closely to provide information to people. The event will be bookended by two hour-long presentations, one titled “Applying the Results of an Audit of County Officials: Toward a Testable Hypothesis of Open Government” and the other a panel discussion about open government and public records.

This will be the Sunshine Center’s fourth regional workshop, which has moved from east to west across the state since 2008, when the first was held in Manteo. The Sunshine Center is housed in the School of Communications at Elon University and is the educational arm of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition. The NCOGC is a nonpartisan coalition from both the public and private sectors that advocates the principles and benefits of open government.

The Department of Political Science at East Carolina University will host the event for the Sunshine Center. Register ahead by sending an e-mail titled “Workshop Registration” to ncopengov@elon.edu. Please include your full name, mailing address, phone number and affiliation (name of business, organization, government agency, university, etc.). On-site registration will be accommodated as space allows. By registering ahead, you ensure your reservation and that you will receive updates about the event, including parking and other important details.

WORKSHOP SPEAKERS:

• Brooke Barnett is the executive director of the Sunshine Center at Elon University where she is also an associate professor of communications and an administrative fellow and special assistant to the university president. Before her career in academics, Dr. Barnett worked for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) for five years where she produced several award-winning documentary films.
• Brian Colligan has been the editorial page editor of the Greenville Daily Reflector since 2004. His undergraduate degree is from Virginia Tech and his Master of Public Administration is from ECU. His work has been recognized with the NC Press Association’s 2001 and 2006 Best Editorial Writing award and the 2010 Editorial Page award.
• Steve Hawley is communications manager and public information officer for the city of Greenville where his work has won Excellence in Communications Awards from North Carolina City and County Communicators (NC3C). He is the host of the city of Greenville’s public access television show “City Scene” and was also a WITN-TV on-air personality.
• Ed Johnson is an associate professor of communication studies at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. In 2005 he was named Professor of the Year by the Ad Club of the Triangle. Before his career in the academy, he worked in advertising. He has taught advertising and public relations in Missouri and Nebraska before his time at Campbell University.
• Peter Romary is director of student legal services at ECU. He holds a law degree of UNC-Chapel Hill as well as a British law degree. Originally a British subject, he now holds US citizenship. He is a certified mediator with the NC Dispute Resolution Commission. In 2004, he was knighted by the Queen of England in recognition of his work combating violence against women.
• Carmine Scavo is an associate professor of political science at ECU where he has taught for 26 years and directed the Master of Public Administration program for ten years. He co-directs the ECU Outreach Network and the NC Talent Enhancement Program which work with small local governments and non-profits in eastern NC on funding and capacity-building issues. He and Charles Prysby of UNC-Greensboro won the 2006 Rowman-Littlefield Award for Innovative Teaching of the American Political Science Association.
• Charles Twardy is an instructor in the School of Communication at ECU. He holds a Master of Science in Journalism degree and a Master of Arts in English from Northwestern University. His published work has appeared in newspapers such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The State (Columbia, SC), Orlando Sentinel, Raleigh News and Observer as well as journals such as World Architecture, Architectural Record, and German Life.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:

• 2 p.m.: Introduction by Dr. Carmine Scavo, Department of Political Science, ECU
• 2:10 to 2:30 p.m.: “Open Government in North Carolina” by Dr. Brooke Barnett, Executive Director, Sunshine Center, Elon University
• 2:30 to 3 p.m.: “Applying the Results of an Audit of County Officials: Toward a Testable Hypothesis of Open Government,” Dr. Ed Johnson, Department of Communications, Campbell University
• 3 to 3:20 p.m.: Comments by Charles Twardy, School of Communication, ECU, Q&A from audience
• 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion on Open Government and Public Records with: Mr. Brian Colligan, Editorial Page Editor Greenville Daily Reflector; Mr. Steve Hawley, Public Information Office, City of Greenville; Dr. Peter Romary, Director of Student Legal Services, ECU; Q&A from audience
• 4:30 p.m.: Concluding Remarks

Please send any questions about this event to ncopengov@elon.edu or 336-278-5506.