Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Meet the Reformer: Lisa Rosenberg lets the sunlight in

Lisa Rosenberg, executive director of Open The Government
Photo courtesy Open The Government

Lisa Rosenberg has spent much of her career focused on transparency and accountability, from both inside and outside the federal government. As counsel for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in 1997 and 1998, she organized an investigation into illegal activity during the 1996 election. But most of her work has come in the nonprofit sector, including leadership roles at the Center for Responsive Politics and the Sunlight Foundation. Rosenberg is now executive director of Open The Government, a nonpartisan coalition that works to limit government secrecy. Her answers have been edited for clarity and length.

What's the tweet-length description of your organization?

Open The Government advances policies that create a transparent, accountable and responsive government.


Describe your very first civic engagement.

I attended a pro-choice rally on the Mall when I first moved to Washington, D.C.

What was your biggest professional triumph?

Convincing my former boss Sen. John Kerry to vote the "right" way on a particular bill even though it was a politically hard decision for him to make.

And your most disappointing setback?

The acceptance by too many of anti-democratic, corrupt policies and practices that has set the entire democracy movement back.

How does your identity influence the way you go about your work?

Having an inclusive and equitable work atmosphere is important to me, and I have worked with my team and steering committee to build an environment that increasingly reflects this value. I am also excited about a project OTG is rolling out soon that will build a bridge between racial justice organizations and the accountability community — combining our efforts to build a transparent, accountable government that works for all, including communities of color. Through the initiative, OTG will expand on our expertise as a coalition builder and advocate for a multi-pronged approach to solving inequities that stem from government decision-making that often tilts against or excludes communities of color.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

"It's always 'no' until you ask."

Create a new flavor for Ben & Jerry's.

Balance of Power — dark chocolate for judges' robes, coffee for the executive branch (it makes things run); almonds and butter pecan for protein to strengthen Congress.

What's your favorite political movie or TV show?

"House of Cards" or "The West Wing."

What's the last thing you do on your phone at night?

Log on to a workout app to try to get motivated for the next day's trip to the (home) gym. It works about half the time.

What is your deepest, darkest secret?

I lead a transparency organization and practice what I preach! I'm an open book.

Read More

Pete Hegseth walking in a congressional hallway

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, and his wife, Jennifer, make their way to a meetin with Sen. Ted Budd on Dec. 2.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Hegseth is the wrong leader for women in the military, warn women veterans and lawmakers

Originally published by The 19th.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Pete Hegseth tries to persuade senators to support him to lead the Department of Defense in the Trump administration, several lawmakers, women veterans and military advocates warn that his confirmation could be detrimental to women in the military and reverse progress in combating sexual assault in the Armed Forces.

Keep ReadingShow less
Young Hispanic woman holding a U.S. flag and looking stressed
AaronAmat/Getty Images

Distraught at Trump’s win? Here are some ways to lower your anxiety.

Donald Trump’s election sparked a lot of emotions. Many are feeling excited, optimistic and vindicated. Others are struggling with fear, anxiety and anger.

These varied reactions are also found among those in the movement to reduce political toxicity. Some members of the Builders community sent us messages about their distress at Trump’s win:

Keep ReadingShow less
disinformation spelled out
TolikoffPhotography/Getty Images

Listening in a time of disinformation

The very fabric of truth is unraveling at an alarming rate; Howard Thurman's wisdom about listening for the sound of the genuine is not just relevant but urgent. In the face of the escalating crisis of disinformation, distortion and the unsettling normalization of immoral and unethical practices, particularly in electoral politics and executive leadership, the need to cultivate the art of discernment and informed listening is more pressing than ever.
Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the Oval Office

President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden meet in the Oval Office on Nov. 13.

Jabin Botsford /The Washington Post via Getty Images

Selfish Biden has given us four years of Trump

It’s been a rough go of it for those of us still clinging to antiquated notions that with leadership and power should come things like honesty, integrity, morality, and expertise.

One look at any number of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and it’s clear those things no longer matter to a great number of people. (Hell, one look at Trump himself and that’s painfully, comically obvious.)

Keep ReadingShow less