Pete Weitzel is a former managing editor of the Miami Herald, where he worked as a reporter and editor for nearly 40 years. When he was president of the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors in 1984, he established the Florida First Amendment Foundation to serve as a government transparency watchdog and then served as Foundation president until 1995. In that role, he helped draft an amendment to the Florida Constitution guaranteeing citizens a right of access to government records and served on a Florida Supreme Court commission that modified state court rules on court records. He also helped launch the National Freedom of Information Coalition and served as its second president. Working with the American Society of News Editors, he helped launch the first Sunshine Week in 2005. In 1997, he was selected as one of the initial inductees in Florida’s Freedom of Information Hall of Fame. In 2007, he received the John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award from the National Press Club for his efforts in support of the public’s right to know. The National Freedom of Information Coalition inducted him into the State Open Government Hall of Fame in 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff

Pamela C. Marsh, President

Pamela Marsh served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida from 2010 to 2015. As U.S. Attorney, Pamela was the lead federal prosecutor in 23 counties, from Alachua to Escambia, and was the first woman appointed to the position. She earned a reputation for investigating and prosecuting cases related to banking, healthcare fraud, public corruption, cybercrime, international and domestic terrorism, as well as human trafficking. Pamela was also selected by the U.S. Attorney General at the Department of Justice to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, while also serving on the Subcommittee on Counter-Terrorism and National Security, as well as the White Collar Criminal Subcommittee. With more than twenty years of legal experience, Pamela has worked in both private practices and in governmental positions. A resident of Tallahassee, she was named one of the Tallahassee Democrat’s “25 Women You Need to Know” in 2016. Pamela earned her J.D., cum laude, and B.S. in Foreign Service, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University. She was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida.

Erika Benton, Office Administrator, and Marketing Manager

Erika Benton is a graduate of The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Florida State University. She joined the First Amendment Foundation while teaching as an Adjunct Instructor for Florida State University. She received her Master of Arts degree in Public Interest Media & Communications with a certificate in Digital Productions. Erika’s studies focused on how media and communication can help the public interest industry through communication strategies and techniques. She has extensive knowledge of social media campaigns, marketing strategies, and public policy research. She currently teaches Interpersonal Communications and Public Speaking at Tallahassee Community College.

Virginia Hamrick, Ken Weiss Legal Fellow

Virginia Hamrick is a 3L at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. After her 1L year she interned for the Honorable Gary R. Jones in the Northern District of Florida, and this past summer she clerked for Ausley McMullen in Tallahassee. She has also interned at the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, analyzing topics such as nondisclosure agreements and the First Amendment rights of student-athletes. Virginia graduated from UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, where she reported for WUFT-FM. Twitter: @ginnyhamrick

Barbara A. Petersen

Barbara Petersen is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Florida State University College of Law. She served as president of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation for 25 years and was previously a staff attorney for the Joint Committee on Information Technology of the Florida Legislature, where she worked exclusively on public records legislation and issues. Petersen served as chair of Florida’s Commission on Open Government Reform and was appointed by Senate President Don Gaetz to a government transparency task force.  Petersen currently serves on the boards of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. A passionate advocate of the public’s right to oversee its government, she has provided open government training to thousands of government officials, public employees, citizen action organizations, and reporters across Florida.