To augment and help lead the IAPP's growing contingent of researchers, journalists, and subject matter experts, the IAPP has hired Caitlin Fennessy, CIPP/US, to take on the new role of senior privacy fellow. She will begin her role in early March. 

Currently, Fennessy serves as director of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield program, as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The role was a natural fit for her, after serving as senior policy advisor with the Data Flows and Privacy Team at the U.S. International Trade Administration, which administered the Safe Harbor program and ironed out the Privacy Shield data-transfer program with the European Commission after Safe Harbor was declared invalid by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2015.

As part of that role at ITA, where she's been since 2009, Fennessy also served as a delegate to and vice chair of the APEC Data Privacy Subgroup, where she focused on implementation of the Cross Border Privacy Rules and Privacy Recognition for Processors Systems, along with trying to align those programs with other data transfer mechanisms like the EU's binding corporate rules system. 

"Few people in the world can match the experience and depth of knowledge that Caitlin brings to the privacy community," said IAPP President and CEO Trevor Hughes, CIPP. "We are delighted that Caitlin is joining the IAPP to share these talents broadly with our members."

Given Fennessy's background as an adjunct professor of international privacy policy at the University of Maine School of Law in 2015 and 2016 and at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 2014, she has already been working to make international privacy policy and law transparent for those interested in understanding it better, and she'll bring that aim to the IAPP, where she'll be focused on creating tools and information that will help privacy operations, including international data transfer and much more, run more smoothly and efficiently. She will also be focused on monitoring and explaining the many governmental, co-regulatory, and association frameworks that may affect privacy operations. 

Fennessy is also already well-versed with the IAPP and its many activities. She holds the CIPP/US certification, is a frequent source for IAPP reporters when news happens, and has spoken for the IAPP in various conferences and web conferences more than a dozen times.