Editor's Note:
The Academic Spotlight Series highlights past IAPP Westin Scholar Award recipients sharing their academic journey and higher education institutions with compelling privacy and data protection programs. The series is sponsored by IAPP’s Academic Relations whose mission is to help advance privacy and data protection curricula and transition students into careers in the discipline, emphasizing equity, inclusion and diversity.
In reaching and preparing future legal privacy professionals, and working to diversify the field, North Carolina Central University School of Law's Technology Law and Policy Center is "hitting above our weight class," attorney and Tech Law Fellow Cedric Pickett, CIPP/E, CIPP/US, said.
"I think with the fact that we are trying to close the talent gap and increase the amount of diversity in the space we have, we have definitely made our mark in that particular mission here," Pickett said.
NCCU, a historically Black college and university, launched its Technology Law and Policy Center in 2021 with a $5 million, five-year social equity grant from Intel Corporation. Picket, a Certified Information Privacy Professional Trainer with the IAPP, leads the center's Data Privacy Specialization, which offers classes, resources and networking opportunities to prepare students for the evolving legal challenges of data privacy, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
The center offers a Law & Technology Certificate that recognizes students who complete a focused course of technology and law study. Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and Professor of Law April Dawson said there are students with interests in data privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, tech entrepreneurship and more. Ten students graduated with the certificate in 2023, while approximately 25 are on track to do so this year.
In bringing Pickett on board, Dawson said she was impressed by his IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional designation and had heard from alumni that it would be beneficial for students to earn certification while still in law school. When Dawson mentioned the idea to Pickett, he ran with it.
"We do know there is a talent gap with regard to data privacy and what we want to be able to do is address that and make sure our students can graduate and hit the ground running by earning the certification," he said.
Pickett teaches courses that help students pass, and get credit toward, the CIPP/US and CIPP/E exams and he's collaborated with the IAPP's Higher Education Program to offer access to training material at a discount. He's helped connect students with scholarships and attend data privacy conferences, including the IAPP Global Privacy Summit in Washington, D.C. and brought networking events, like the IAPP KnowledgeNet, to campus.
Also, the center's annual Law and Technology Summit brings in speakers and panelists covering topics including AI, data privacy, tech policy and more.
The Technology Law and Policy Center offers opportunities to help prospective students to earn the CIPP/US certification before they begin law school and a program for alumni who have already entered the workforce but are interested in data privacy.
Third year law student Jacob Britt obtained his CIPP/US certification in August 2022, which he said "significantly deepened my interest in privacy law." Britt subsequently earned the CIPP/E, CIPM and CIPT certifications by October 2023 and is currently working toward the CIPP/C certification. He said his goal initially was to build his resume and stand out in the job market, but through the NCCU program and certification journey, he "developed a genuine passion for privacy law."
"What fascinates me most about this field is its constant evolution, particularly as new technologies like AI emerge. These advancements bring complex legal challenges and intricacies for privacy practitioners," he said.
Britt said he is committed to pursuing a legal career in privacy or a closely related field and the certifications have "significantly" helped in securing interviews and have proven advantageous at networking events.
"They demonstrate my active engagement in the field, not merely an aspiration to practice in this area," he said.
Pickett said he hopes to replicate the center's offerings for other IAPP certifications, as well, like the CIPM and CIPT.
"There's definitely a lot of excitement. When I first expressed the opportunity for students to earn the CIPP/US certification, I had a small amount of interest. Now, every semester it's getting bigger and bigger," he said. "There's been a lot of buzz about what we're doing for our community and for our students."
Pickett said students who have obtained IAPP certification range across age, gender and ethnicity — including African American, Asian American, Hispanic and white. He and Dawson are proud the Technology Law and Policy Center is helping to prepare a diverse set of professionals to enter the legal privacy field.
"As an HBCU, we are sometimes under-resourced. We have Duke (University) down the street and the University of North Carolina and we just do not have the same types of resources as those institutions. But of all the law schools in the country, we are progressive in filling the talent gap," Dawson said. "And to be able to fill it with a diverse group of lawyers is really important to us and aligns with our mission. It aligns with serving our community and the larger legal community. We are really proud of what we're able to do in that way."
Obtaining the CIPP/US certification through the Technology Law and Policy Center helped third-year law student Graelyn Glover secure an internship in IBM's legal department, one she said was originally solely for an intellectual property intern. The certification enabled her to "delve into the privacy side of the company" and "to be much more marketable in the legal world."
Glover is studying to take the CIPP/E exam before the end of February and hopes to earn the CIPM certification before completing her third year of law school. She said the NCCU program "provided a tremendous amount of support" throughout the process of earning CIPP/US certification, which inspired her to pursue the CIPP/E certification.
"I pursued the certification because of my strong interest in privacy and ultimately, the certification would make me much more marketable in a privacy career path," she said. "The support the program gives is immeasurable."
Dawson has her sights set on a similar program for AI and said she was excited to learn about the IAPP's Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional certification.
"The students are very much interested in it, so if we can get them exposed to the material, get them prepared to do the certification, I think it speaks again to being the trailblazers that we are and also providing that diversity. There's an even greater lack of diversity when you think about the AI space," she said.
