Open the Books Initiative

Adam Andrzejewski will be discussing his work as founder and CEO of OpenTheBooks.com, the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. To date, OpenTheBooks.com has captured 3.5 billion government-spending records, including nearly all disclosed federal government spending since 2000; 48 of 50 state checkbooks; and expenditures in 60,000 localities across America.

In 2016, OpenTheBooks.com exposed the $20 million luxury-art procurement program at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which forced a public apology from the V.A. Secretary and the adoption of new rules to stop the abuse. OpenTheBooks.com’s discovery of many other government corruption scandals has led to congressional hearings, subpoenas, accountability audits, and corrective legislation.

Before founding OpenTheBooks.com, Mr. Andrzejewski cofounded HomePages Directories, America’s largest publisher of community telephone books. In 2010, Andrzejewski ran for governor of Illinois in the Republican primary. He holds a B.A. from Northern Illinois University.