(Washington, DC) – On Wednesday, March 20, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) will bring the American Whistleblower Tour: Essential Voices for Accountability to American University (AU). The Tour stop will feature whistleblower Phyllis McKelvey, who collected more than 180,000 petition signatures raising serious safety concerns about the USDA’s proposed poultry inspection model.

GAP’s Tour is a dynamic campaign aimed at educating the public – particularly university students – about the phenomenon and practice of whistleblowing. This event, like all stops, features a moderated discussion with a prominent whistleblower. This presentation runs from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m., with a continental breakfast and introductory remarks preceding the discussion.

A Continuing Legal Education (CLE) initiative follows the Tour stop, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The CLE features a presentation by GAP staff on navigating the new food safety whistleblower provision contained in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The event is free and open to all, but registration is required. A full description/timeline of this stop, and a description of the Tour can be found at www.WhistleblowerTour.org. The program will take place at the AU Washington College of Law, Room 603. The Tour stop is sponsored by GAP’s Food Integrity Campaign, along with the American University Washington College of Law.

Speaker

Phyllis McKelvey is a retired U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) chicken inspector who spent 44 years working in the poultry sector (both for private industry and the government). Before leaving the USDA in 2010, Phyllis witnessed firsthand the damage that the agency’s new poultry inspection model creates. Working in a chicken processing plant, Phyllis observed the pilot program for the new inspection system. Among other problematic changes, the new system turns most of government inspectors’ duties over to company employees and increases line speeds to the point where an inspector has only 1/3 of a second to view a carcass. In this environment, Phyllis recalls it being impossible to inspect birds as they whizzed down the line. Her concern about the effects this program will have if it becomes a national standard led her to start a petition asking the USDA to halt its plans, which gained more than 180,000 signatures.

GAP President Louis Clark will moderate the discussion with Phyllis. Stated Clark, “Honest insiders are the best defense against threats to our food supply, and it’s important for members of the public, who are directly impacted, to acknowledge the importance of empowering food whistleblowers like Phyllis.”

GAP Legal Director Tom Devine, GAP Food & Public Health Counsel Jeff Gulley, and Administrative Review Board Judge Luis Corchado will present the FSMA whistleblower provision and how to litigate retaliation cases under the legislation at 10:30 a.m.

Robert Vaughn, Professor at the AU Washington College of Law, stated: “We’re excited to host these important conversations about food safety whistleblowing on campus and to educate students about the difficult legal obstacles truth-tellers often face.”

About the Tour

This event at AU is the sixth Tour stop this academic year. Previous 2012-13 stops have included the University of Houston–Clear Lake, Whitman College, Franklin & Marshall College, Auburn University, and Florida International University.

During the 2011-12 academic year, the American Whistleblower Tour visited 13 colleges, including Auburn University, Mount Holyoke College, Rutgers University-Newark, Syracuse University, Tulane University, and the University of Texas at Austin. GAP secures some of the most prominent whistleblowers in American history for its Tour. Last year, whistleblower presenters included Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers), Frank Serpico (NYPD), Sherron Watkins (Enron) and Susan Wood (“Plan B”).

Goals of the Tour include raising awareness about the vital role whistleblowing has in our democracy, preparing America’s youth for ethical decision-making, countering negative connotations associated with whistleblowing, connecting prospective whistleblowers to available resources, and encouraging academic studies of whistleblowing.

Contact: Dylan Blaylock, GAP Communications Director
Phone: 202.457.0034, ext. 137
Email: [email protected]

Contact: Sarah Damian, GAP New Media Associate
Phone: 202.457.0034, ext. 130
Email: [email protected]

Government Accountability Project
The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

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