Barbara Petersen

Co-founder and Executive Director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA)

A passionate advocate of the public’s right to oversee its government and hold it accountable for its actions, Barbara Petersen is co-founder and executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA).  Prior to her work with FLCGA, Petersen served as president of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation for 25 years.  She chaired Governor Crist’s Commission on Open Government Reform and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Above & Beyond award from News Service of Florida/City & State, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Media and Communications Law Committee of the Florida Bar (2019), and the prestigious Eileen Cook Award from the American Library Association (2018).  In 2021, Petersen was inducted into Heroes of the 50 States: The State Open Government Hall of Fame.  She is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Florida State University College of Law.