FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS: Ashley Berke Alex McKechnie Director of Public Relations Public Relations Coordinator 215.409.6693 215.409.6895 [email protected] [email protected]

U.S. ARCHIVIST DAVID FERRIERO JOINS THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER TO DISCUSS TRANSPARENCY AND OPEN GOVERNMENT

Philadelphia, PA (April 12, 2011) – Where do you draw the line between government confidentiality for the sake of diplomacy and the public’s right to know? How can the public be sure that "state secrets" are classified in the interest of national security and not to cover up the misdeeds of government officials? David Ferriero , Archivist of the United States, will join the National Constitution Center for Transparency and Open Government: What Does this Mean for Citizens? on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.

Ferriero will discuss how transparent government should be, what citizens have done to make the government more open with its information, and whether or not access to these resources is a constitutional right. The Philadelphia Inquirer’ s Bill Marimow will facilitate the conversation. Admission is FREE, but reservations are required and can be made by calling 215.409.6700 or online at www.constitutioncenter.org .

The program is presented in partnership with the Federal Executive Board , as part of the Philly FED Day celebration, which will be held at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees will gain valuable information on the services offered throughout the Greater Philadelphia area from employees of more than 30 federal agencies.

David S. Ferriero was confirmed as 10 th Archivist of the United States on November 6, 2009. As Archivist, Ferriero oversees the National Archives and Records Administration, an independent federal agency created by statute in 1934, which safeguards and

-MORE- ADD ONE/OPEN GOVERNMENT preserves the records of the U.S. Government. Previously, Ferriero served as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries. After serving in the Navy during the , he worked in the humanities library at Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, where he worked for 31 years, rising to associate director for public services and acting co-director of libraries. From 1996 to 2004, Ferriero served as Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs.

Bill Marimow is an investigative reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer , where he served as a reporter and editor from 1972 to 1993 and again, beginning in November 2006 through the present. Prior to rejoining the Inquirer , Marimow worked at National Public Radio for two and a half years, serving as managing editor, vice president for news, and ombudsman. He was editor of the Baltimore Sun for four years, beginning in 2000, and managing editor for six years before that. During his years at the Sun , the newspaper received Pulitzer Prizes for feature writing, investigative reporting, and beat reporting.

Celebrating its 50 th anniversary, the Philadelphia Federal Executive Board is a federation of approximately 170 federal entities within southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and northern Delaware. It is one of the original ten FEBs established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The FEB has three primary missions: coordination and support of intergovernmental and community activities; emergency preparedness, security, and employee safety; and human capital readiness. An important FEB signature program is the Combined Federal Campaign – a federal community giving program – which also celebrates its 50 th anniversary this year.

The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. The Center serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues. The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and features a

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powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising.” The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education. Also, as a nonpartisan forum for constitutional discourse, the Center presents – without endorsement – programs that contain diverse viewpoints on a broad range of issues. For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org . ###