FOIA Innovations and Best Practices
All event times are U.S. Eastern time
The annual “FOIA Innovations and Best Practices” virtual workshop is tailored for government professionals seeking to enhance their understanding and implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We will delve into the future of transparency by exploring innovations, emerging technologies, and practical strategies impacting the FOIA landscape.
From automating request processing to leveraging AI for more efficient data management, this program is designed to provide attendees valuable insights from leading FOIA experts and practitioners willing to share their experiences, successes, and lessons learned. Whether you’re a seasoned FOIA officer or new to the field, this virtual program promises to offer valuable perspectives and actionable best practices to improve your agency’s transparency and responsiveness. Join us to discover how you can drive innovation and efficiency in your FOIA processes in 2026 and beyond.
AGENDA
12:00pm
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Mike Smoyer,
President, Digital Government Institute
12:00pm
FOIA Modernization Through a Legal Lens: Efficiency, Accuracy, and Transparency
Michael Heise
Assistant Legal Counsel
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
12:30pm
When Deja Vu is Actually a Duplicate Record
Backlogs get treated as a staffing and throughput challenge. The actual problem is memory. Every morning the alarm goes off and the same request lands on the desk like it has never been there before. Two reviewers can reach different conclusions on identical material, and nobody catches it. What agencies need is a program that remembers yesterday. A system that recognizes a record it has already reviewed, points the requester to the work that is already done, and lets every release add up instead of starting over. Your teams should be spending their afternoons on new questions, not on old ones wearing a fresh case number.
Brian Thompson
Director, Practice Empowerment – Public Sector, Relativity
1:00pm
The Progress Penalty: A Conversation on Measuring Modern FOIA
Angela Kovach
Vice President Federal Civilian, Feith Systems
1:30pm
Combining Best Practices and Technology to Improve FOIA Response Time and the Customer Service Experience
Marianne Manheim
Branch Chief, FOIA, Privacy, and Records, HHS/NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
1:45pm
Breaking the FOIA Bottleneck: AI That Speeds Every Step of the Process
Stephanie Muxfeld
Vice President of Product, Casepoint
2:00pm
All-In-One Redaction Solutions for your FOIA Requests
Karenna Soto
Fed Civ Account Executive, Public Sector, Veritone
Ben Ha
Manager, Sales Engineering, Veritone
2:30pm
FOIA Modernization in Practice: Leadership Priorities and Front-Line Realities
William H. Holzerland
Deputy Chief FOIA Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Brandon J. Gaylord
FOIA Program Manager, Akima Secure Technologies
Caitlin O’Leary Trujillo
Associate Counsel, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
3:00pm
Closing Comments
All DGI virtual events are FREE to attend.
- CPE CREDITS up to 2.5
In order to receive CPE credit, attendees must fulfill all of these requirements:
- Attend the entire program
- Respond to all poll questions
- Complete and submit the post-event survey
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