David Cuillier, director
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 (pronounced “COOL-yer”) 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 served six years on the Federal FOIA Advisory Committee under the National Archives and Records Administration and has testified three times before Congress regarding FOIA. He has trained more than 17,000 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.
Samantha Sunne, Secrecy Tracker coordinator
Samantha Sunne joined the Brechner FOI project in fall 2025 as coordinator of the Brechner FOI Project’s Secrecy Tracker, which monitors legislation regarding access to public records and meetings throughout the United States.
Sunne (pronounced “Sunny”) is co-author of the textbook “Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting,” now being published in its second edition. She is a freelance journalist based in New Orleans, specializing in data and investigative techniques. Sunne teaches at conferences, universities and newsrooms around the world.
As a freelance reporter, she is the recipient of several national grants and awards for investigative reporting, and has worked with publications including ProPublica, the Poynter Institute and The Washington Post. As an instructor, she has designed tutorials and curricula for organizations including Investigative Reporters & Editors, Society of Professional Journalists and the Nieman Foundation at Harvard.
Sunne also publishes the Tools for Reporters newsletter, which recommends a new tool for journalism every other week. The newsletter reached its 10th anniversary and was named one of the most popular newsletters in the news industry by Revue.
Zoe Metchick, student researcher
Zoe Metchick joined the Brechner FOI project in fall 2024 as a research aide.
She is a fourth-year honors student at the University of Florida pursuing a degree in criminology with a minor in history. She has experience in leadership accountability as the former Chair of the Rules and Ethics Committee for the UF Student Senate. With a focus on reform, she has rewritten several administrative codes for the Student Senate’s internal and external operations to streamline its processes and increase transparency. She has also worked in the legal sector as a summer intern at the State Attorney’s Office in the 7th Judicial District of Florida and is currently a Litigation Clerk at a Personal Injury Firm.
After completing her degree, Metchick plans to attend law school, pursuing a career as an attorney. She aims to use the law to continue strengthening American civil liberties and representing underserved communities.
Addison Gear, student researcher
Addison Gear joined the Brechner FOI project in fall 2026 as a research aide.
She is a fourth-year Journalism and PPEL student at the University of Florida. She has served as a student assistant with the Florida Scholastic Press Association for the past three years, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Tower Yearbook at UF. She is passionate about the intersection of policy and research as it relates to the First Amendment.
After completing her degree, Addison plans to pursue a career in public interest communications and policy research while applying to law school. She aims to use the law to protect First Amendment freedoms and support young journalists across the nation in a bipartisan, nonprofit space.
Brooke Clayton, student researcher
Brooke Clayton joined the Brechner FOI project in Fall 2026 as a research aide.
He is a third-year honors student at the University of Florida pursuing a degree in Statistics and Sociology. Across campus, Brooke has served as an ambassador for several departments, including Student Engagement, New Student and Family Programs, and Admissions, where he has advocated for student needs and contributed to the university’s mission. He also serves as a Fellow and ambassador for the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Brooke plans to pursue a career in technology policy research while applying to law school. He aims to use his legal career to advance privacy rights and protect civil liberties in response to the rapidly evolving relationship between technology and society in the United States.
Billy O’Keefe, webmaster
Billy O’Keefe joined the Brechner FOI Project in 2023 as part of an effort to rebuild and reinvigorate SunshineWeek.org after the project acquired it in late 2023. In 2025, he assisted in the launch of SecrecyTracker.org and the inaugural Sunshine Fest, for which he contributed both the website and the logo.
In addition to Brechner, O’Keefe has contributed to a handful of other journalism initiatives, creating everything from built-from-the-ground-up membership/awards platforms, redesigned websites and special digital projects to logos, animated multimedia and book covers. Clients include the Student Press Law Center, Society of Professional Journalists, Radio Television Digital News Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Mike Reilley’s Journalist’s Toolbox.
Learn more (and see pictures of his dog, Willow) at billyok.com.