In Search Of: The IAPP’s 2015-2016 Westin Fellows

Are you passionate about privacy? Do you love to work with fascinating people, learn new things and hone your already-exceptional communication skills? Are you intrigued by privacy law, IT, sociology, marketing or other related fields? Then you just may have what it takes to be one of the IAPP’s Westin Fellows. The IAPP Westin Research Center, named after Dr. Alan Westin, a foundational scholar in the field of privacy (get his seminal book, Privacy and Freedom, here), was created in 2013 to serve as a pathway for future leaders who aspire to join the privacy community.

The application period is now open for our next class of IAPP Westin Research Center Fellows, and applicants who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents or authorized to work in the U.S. are encouraged to apply. Fellowship terms generally run from September through August of each year and fellows take part in a variety of privacy research projects on topics chosen with a goal of supporting the growth and development of the privacy profession and furthering understanding of major privacy issues.

Westin Fellows work with IAPP Vice President of Research and Education Omer Tene, who was vice dean of the College of Management School of Law, Rishon Le Zion, Israel, prior to coming to the Westin Center, and is an affiliate scholar at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society and a senior fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum. In addition to his work with the Westin Center, Omer has published extensively in the U.S. and Europe about big data, online tracking and international privacy law.

Or, here’s the way current IAPP Westin Fellow Arielle Brown describes it to those who ask about her work here: “If you are interested in a career in privacy, the Westin Fellowship is like hitting a super mushroom in Mario Kart. The fellowship instantly boosts your resume and shoots you forward in the privacy field,” she said. “The amount of knowledge and experience you get in one year as a Westin Fellow would take years to achieve anywhere else.”

To give you an idea of whether a Westin Fellowship is the right path for you, we’ve gone to those who know best: each of our current and past Westin Fellows.

Current Westin Fellow Patricia Bailin, CIPP/US, puts it this way: “Anyone interested in a career in privacy needs to apply for the Westin Fellowship.”

Bailin, who holds a Master of Arts degree in international business security and technology policy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, worked as a summer associate on the Data Privacy and Public Policy Team at Acxiom Corporation before beginning her Westin Fellowship this past summer.

“I’m only halfway through my year, and I already recognize what a valuable experience this has been,” Bailin said. “And the IAPP is an incredible place to work; if you’re fun, self-motivated, curious and kind, you’ll fit right in.”

Brown, meanwhile, is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Law School who interned at Hogan Lovells in Washington, DC, and worked as a law clerk for Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen prior to coming to the Westin Research Center.

“The Westin Fellowship is unique in that it combines academic curiosity with practical legal knowledge and experience. As a Westin Fellow, you get to work with a range of privacy professionals, which provides you with valuable insight into the privacy field as a whole,” Brown said, adding, “The fellowship not only helps you figure out what privacy career you want but also provides the experience and connections necessary to get it.”

The IAPP’s first two Westin Fellows echoed that sentiment.

“There's no better place to start a privacy career,” said Kelsey Finch, CIPP/US, who graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law prior to becoming one of the first IAPP Westin Fellows in 2013.

Following her year as a fellow, Finch was hired as policy counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum.

Being an IAPP Westin Fellow is “a great opportunity for anyone looking to break into the privacy profession. You'll have the chance to research and write about a wide variety of topics, while staying on top of what's new and interesting in the field,” Finch said, adding, “Not only will you get the inside scoop on the privacy industry, you'll get to work with some truly amazing people (and their dogs!) at the IAPP.”

Dennis Holmes, who graduated from the George Washington University Law School before joining Finch in the first class of Westin Fellows at the IAPP, is now an experienced associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Looking back on his year as a Westin Fellow, he said, “It's the best kind of challenging—you learn lots and grow as a professional.” 

If you’re interested in becoming a Westin Fellow, here are the application requirements:

• A strong academic record and completion of an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year program are minimum requirements; a graduate degree is preferred.
• Fellows are required to be physically located at the IAPP’s office in New Hampshire during the term of their fellowship. They will receive a work space, computer and standard office equipment.
• Successful applicants will have a strong academic background in a relevant field(s), proven communication skills and a passionate interest in privacy issues. They must be interested in pursuing a long-term career path in the field of privacy.

If this sounds like you and something you’d like to do, don’t delay submitting your application. The current selection period closes on February 28 with interviews for some applicants to follow and final decisions expected by the end of March.

Interested? Get all the details and apply online here.