Watch A Message From our New CEO at OpenTheBooks Substack

 

WASHINGTON — OpenTheBooks.com, the nation's leading transparency organization committed to making every dime of government spending accessible to the public, is excited to announce the appointment of John Hart as its new Chief Executive Officer. This leadership transition represents Open the Books’ commitment to fact-based, data-driven investigations and a vision to empower citizens with new tools and technology to expose government spending.

 

Hart, a long-time supporter of OpenTheBooks.com, brings a deep understanding of both the organization’s history and its future potential. With a background in journalism and extensive experience in public policy and technology, he is well-positioned to expand the nonprofit watchdog’s impact. Hart previously served as the longtime Communications Director and co-author for the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), and has been instrumental in transparency initiatives that have reshaped how federal spending is tracked and reported. Hart worked for Coburn during the development and passage of the Coburn-Obama Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 that put all federal spending online.

 

“As CEO, I am committed to honoring and building on the legacy of our late co-founder Adam Andrzejewski. When Adam made Dr. Coburn the Honorary Chairman of Open the Books he said the Coburn-Obama bill made his work possible. But I can tell you Dr. Coburn believed that it was Adam, and his talented and dedicated team and board, that made our vision of data-driven citizen activism a reality. We are going to build on Open the Books’ success and provide accurate data people can trust. Transparency is a first principle and building block of representative government that makes all of our other freedoms possible,” Hart said.

 

Hart said Open the Books will strive to look beyond the technological horizon under his leadership just as Coburn looked beyond the horizon when he resolved to put all federal spending online almost 20 years ago.

 

“Too much of today’s conversation about technology and policy focuses on what government should do to constrain technology. We’re going to flip that script. Instead of asking what government should do to constrain technology, we’re going to ask what technology should do to constrain government. The answer to misinformation isn’t more mandates, or censorship, but more information that allows the public to have a productive debate about what’s true. MLK put it well: ‘Darkness never drives out darkness; only light can do that,’” Hart said.

 

Leadership Transition and Board Changes

As part of this transition, OpenTheBooks.com also announces important changes to its board of directors:

• Executive Chairman of the Board, Thomas W. Smith, is stepping down after years of dedicated service. OpenTheBooks.com extends its deepest gratitude to Tom for his stewardship and vision, helping the organization grow from a startup to an established leader in public spending transparency.
• Craig Mijares, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, will assume the role of Executive Chairman, bringing a deep understanding of the organization’s mission and its technological capabilities.
• Abe Andrzejewski, brother of the late Adam Andrzejewski, will join the board, further cementing the legacy of the organization's commitment to truth and transparency.

 

BACKGROUND 

OpenTheBooks.com is America’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to transparency in government spending. Through cutting-edge forensic auditing, open records requests, and innovative use of big data, we empower citizens to hold government accountable. Last year, we filed more than 55,000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, capturing nearly all federal spending, the checkbooks of all 50 states, vendor payments from 17,000 municipal governments, and over 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across the United States.

 

Our data-driven investigations provide the public with access to crucial information, shining a light on how taxpayer dollars are spent. Our work has been prominently featured in leading national and international media outlets, including the BBC, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, C-SPAN, The New York Times, NBC News, FOX News, Forbes, National Public Radio (NPR), Sinclair Broadcast Group, and the Chicago Tribune, among many others.

 

As an independent organization, OpenTheBooks.com accepts no government funding, ensuring that our oversight remains impartial and non-partisan. Our efforts have earned recognition at the highest levels, including citations in the President's Budget to Congress for FY2021. Founded by Adam Andrzejewski, whose compelling presentation The Depth of the Swamp at Hillsdale College’s National Leadership Seminar garnered over 4 million views on YouTube, we continue to push the boundaries of transparency to build a more accountable and open government for every American.

 

###