David Cuillier
David Cuillier, Ph.D., is director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, and co-director of the Brechner Center for Advancement of the First Amendment, at the University of Florida. Contact David.
Before joining the University of Florida in July 2023, Cuillier taught access to public records, data journalism, and other courses at the University of Arizona School of Journalism for 17 years, where he also served as director of the school and director of graduate studies. He has published peer-reviewed research on freedom of information and co-authored, with Brechner alum Charles N. Davis, the books “The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records,” and “Transparency 2.0: Digital Data and Privacy in a Wired World.”
He served as national president of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2013-14, as well as SPJ FOI chair for five years, was president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition 2019-2023 and served as head of the Communication Law & Policy Division for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. He is founding editor of the open-access peer-reviewed Journal of Civic Information, from 2019 to present.
Cuillier currently serves on the Federal FOIA Advisory Committee under the National Archives and Records Administration and has testified three times before Congress regarding FOIA. He writes the FOI Files column for the Investigative Reporters & Editors Journal, and since 2004 has trained more than 12,000 journalists and citizens in how to acquire public records.
He got his start in public records as a newspaper reporter and editor in the Pacific Northwest for a dozen years before earning his doctorate in communications at Washington State University, studying under Dr. Susan Dente Ross, who earned her Ph.D. from UF while aiding the Brechner Center. Cuillier lives in Gainesville, Florida.
Sydney Sims
Sydney Sims is the Outreach Coordinator for the Brechner Freedom of Information Project. She provides training, external communications, and educational activities to promote the right to know.
Before joining the University of Florida in fall 2024, Sims built a diverse media career as a journalist. She previously worked at Capital B News, where she developed and executed community engagement strategies that addressed local needs in Atlanta.
Sims holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Auburn University, where she focused on print and digital journalism. Her experience includes reporter roles at WABE 90.1 FM Atlanta, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and the Auburn Villager. Sims also has bylines in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
An award-winning journalist, she has been recognized as a finalist for the Atlanta Press Club Rising Star Award and has received fellowships from organizations such as Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Association of Health Care Journalists. Sims is from Atlanta, Georgia, and currently lives in Gainesville.
Student Team Members
Janelle Maurice
Janelle Maurice is a Media Production, Management, and Technology, and International Studies double major who began research at the Brechner FOI Project in Fall 2024. A prelaw student, she plans to attend law school in Fall 2026, hoping to dive into the field of media and entertainment law. Her interest in 
this field stems from her desire to advocate for creators’ rights, especially with developing artificial intelligence.
Outside of her research with the Brechner FOI Project, Janelle is involved in multiple student organizations on campus, including serving as President of Black Women Leaders in Law, and Director of External Communications for UF GatorNights. She values aiding her community and hopes to positively impact the lives of all that she comes in contact with.
Zoe Metchick
Zoe Metchick joined the Brechner FOI project in fall 2024 as a research aide.
She is a second-year student at the University of Florida pursuing a major in journalism. She serves as an ambassador for the College of Journalism and Communications, and also has held leadership positions in the University of Florida Student Government Cabinet, where she promoted student access to information by founding a newsletter. She is also currently serving as assistant chief of staff for the Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament.
Metchick plans to attend law school, pursuing a career as an attorney, to use the law to promote human rights and give a voice to underrepresented groups.
Abby Rillo
Abby Rillo began at the Brechner Project in fall 2023, working on initiatives including independent campus media, state supreme court justice disclosure information and vexatious information requests. With an expressed interest in media law, Rillo plans to attend law school in 2025.
Prior to joining the Brechner Project, Rillo was social media director at Innova Leaf Creative Solutions and a communications intern at Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center, where she managed teams working towards restrategizing marketing initiatives.
Savannah Rude
Savannah Rude joined the Brechner FOI Project as a research aide in October 2023.
Rude is has worked on projects regarding the freedom of college press organizations and vexatious requests. She is a third-year student at the University of Florida pursuing a major in journalism and a minor in international development and humanitarian assistance.
Rude is also on the staff of Strike Magazine and an assistant director for the brand ambassador team. Rude has done previous research on sex trafficking and had her study published in the Journal of Student Research. She is interested in a career in investigative journalism.
Cate Williams
Cate Williams, who joined the Project in spring 2024 as a research aide, is a third-year media production, management and technology major specializing in media and society. She is also pursuing a minor in sociology of social justice and policy, and has plans to attend law school in the fall of 2026.
As an avid celebrity drama consumer, shameless BuzzFeed surveyee, and wannabe food blogger, Williams has a special interest for media and entertainment law. Her goal is to work with future generations of producers, musicians, and other media creatives.
Outside of her legal research role the Brechner FOI Project, she is currently the production chair for Delta Delta Delta, where she produce video and photo content for recruitment and various social media platforms. Also, she is assistant director of publicity for Phi Alpha Delta, a pre-law fraternity at UF.