NASCIO Releases Publication Highlighting State Chief Privacy Officer Role

LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, March 27, 2019 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released a publication titled “Perspectives on Privacy: A Survey and Snapshot of the Growing State Chief Privacy Officer Role.” NASCIO surveyed and interviewed 12 state chief privacy officers (CPOs) for the publication. The CPOs interviewed not only shared important information about their role but also provided advice for new CPOs or states considering developing the role.

“For several years there were only a handful of states that had an enterprise-wide chief privacy officer, but now, every few months, we hear of a state hiring their first CPO. This is a great time to highlight this role for states that are just getting started down this path,” said Jennifer Davis, Chief Privacy Officer for the State of Arkansas and Co-Chair of the NASCIO Privacy and Data Protection Working Group.

While every state has a Chief Information Security Officer, the Chief Privacy Officer Role has been growing over the last several years in state government. This NASCIO publication provides an overview of the way the states are structuring the role and a snapshot of the state CPO position including:

  • The most common titles and job responsibilities
  • Reporting structure
  • Degrees and certifications of CPOs
  • Information on defined budgets and authority

Read the policy brief at www.NASCIO.org/ResourceCenter.