President at Termageddon
Experienced corporate and data privacy attorney, Certified Information Privacy Professional and President of a SaaS company that generates auto-updating Privacy Policies (Termageddon.com). Chair of the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Chicago Knowledge Net Chapter. Vice-Chair and newsletter editor of the American Bar Association’s e-Privacy Committee.
Knowledgeable in GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001, cybersecurity, and privacy.
What attracted you to data management or IT, and why did you choose to pursue this career?
I chose to be in the privacy field for a couple of different reasons. First, my data was breached in the Target hack that happened in 2013. Getting that notice really opened my eyes up to exactly how a lack of proper security procedures around personal data can impact individuals. In addition, when I was in law school, I was part of a business clinic where I helped small businesses start their journey by working on incorporations, contracts, and similar things. The clinic really taught me that I wanted to help small businesses understand the legal requirements of running their business. Lastly, I had some clients ask me to write their Privacy Policies when I was in private practice and that led me to understanding the maze that small businesses have to navigate when it comes to privacy law compliance and I really wanted to help them navigate that maze. So, I started Termageddon, which helps small businesses create comprehensive Privacy Policies for an affordable cost.
What has been your greatest career accomplishment so far, and why has it been important to your career?
To me, my greatest accomplishment has been founding Termageddon. Termageddon is a software as a service company that generates Privacy Policies, Terms of Service, Disclaimers, and more. I’m the legal engineer behind the policy questionnaires, answer options, and the thousands of different variations of text. It truly has been a labor of love and I am very proud of the policies that we generate for our clients. Thanks to this accomplishment, I get to work from home with my husband, keep up to date with the privacy laws, and learn more about the laws of other countries. It has really been very satisfying to help small businesses with their policy needs and we have some amazing clients.
What are the two or three biggest challenges you face as a data management professional / CDO and how can we address them?
First, I think that one of the greatest challenges is keeping up to date with the changing privacy laws, bills, and regulations. It seems like every day, there is some really important piece of news that comes out in the privacy world, whether it be a new bill, a new law, changes in regulations, or new cases. I think that to solve this problem, we have to share our knowledge with other professionals in the field and help each other stay up to date. I think that DataManagementU.com does a great job with this issue by providing helpful resources and webinars on the latest privacy news. In addition, I think that the American Bar Association’s ePrivacy Committee and the International Association of Privacy Professionals does a really great job helping privacy professionals overcome this challenge.
Second, while this is an issue that I do not face anymore since I am a practicing attorney, I think that a lot of law schools do not offer a good course path for students that want to become privacy attorneys. Some law schools offer only a few courses on privacy law and others do not offer any. I think that becoming a privacy attorney is a great career choice and I wish I saw more law schools supporting and encouraging that choice. I think that as experienced privacy attorneys, we should reach out to some schools and explain to them why a privacy law focused curriculum is helpful to students.
How do you see data management / the role of the CDO / IT changing in the next 2 – 3 years?
I think that in the next 2-3 years, data managers will need to have a lot more knowledge of the technologies that affect privacy. A lot of privacy attorneys and data managers are very comfortable with the laws and regulations that apply to data but are not as familiar with some of the technologies that impact privacy such as cookies, Do Not Track and opt out technologies. As more companies are releasing privacy focused features (e.g. Apple), I think that we’ll see more data managers that need to fully understand and give advice when it comes to these technologies.
Do you have any planned next steps for your career?
My next steps are going to be making Termageddon compatible with more countries such as Australia and New Zealand. I’m also thinking of starting a podcast called “The People of Privacy”, where I will interview the people behind certain privacy laws, cases, and products and have them share how they got their career to this point and the advice that they’d give to others who also want to become privacy leaders.
What is the single best piece of advice you have received in your data management / IT career so far? Why has it been so important to you?
One of my friends at the American Bar Association told me to not be afraid of asking questions, even if they initially seem like stupid questions. When it comes to data management and privacy, certain things don’t make logical sense. Thus, you should never be afraid to ask questions because assumptions, even if they are logical, are not always correct.
Can you share something about yourself as a person that people wouldn’t know about you?
Yes, I’m actually a beekeeper!
