VCOG installs new officers

VCOG installs new officers

Familiar faces begin terms Jan. 1, 2009

The Virginia Coalition for Open Government installed new officers at its Nov. 21 board meeting at the Virginia Press Association home office in Glen Allen.

Lawrence McConnell, publisher of the Charlottesville Daily Progress, was elected to succeed Wat Hopkins of Virginia Tech’s school of mass communication, as president of VCOG. Hopkins had been president since 2005 and oversaw VCOG’s transition through the retirement of its longtime director, Frosty Landon, and its expanded endowment.

Dorothy Abernathy, head of Virginia’s Associated Press bureau, will stay on as vice president, while Peter Maroney, general manager of Richmond’s WTVR Channel 6, will take over as treasurer. Maroney succeeds Harry Hammitt, editor of Access Reports in Lynchburg.

Craig Fifer, director of e-government services for the City of Alexandria will be nominated to take over the secretary’s job from Ed Jones, editor of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, who has faithfully chronicled VCOG’s board meetings since the organization’s founding.

Hopkins, Hammitt and Jones will all remain as directors on the VCOG board. The new officers will take their seats Jan. 1, 2009.