Director Who Modernized the Federal Register Departs Friday

Charley Barth, an enthusiast for moving the governmentwide regulatory review process online, is vacating his post as director of the Office of the Federal Register, a part of the National Archives and Records Administration.

The self-described advocate for “digital democracy” announced that he has accepted a private-sector job with Cummins Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana, and that his last day will be Oct. 31.

Barth, who was appointed in July 2012, worked with the Government Printing Office and eRulemaking Program Management Office within the Environmental Protection Agency to “create a new virtual regulatory environment that will increase transparency and public participation during the notice and comment process,” his office said in a statement. Barth helped the office deploy a mobile application for the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents and was in charge of administering the Electoral College process for the 2012 presidential election. 

The Federal Register’s website during his tenure won the Bright Idea award from Harvard University. Barth led development of a strategic plan for the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register and conducted the government’s first Federal Register Liaison Conference for executive agency partners.

Until a permanent replacement is named, Barth’s duties will be fulfilled by Amy Bunk, current director of the office’s Legal Affairs and Policy Division.