Jennifer Davis
The Arkansas Department of Information Systems has named Jennifer Davis as the state’s first chief privacy officer, a job created in conjunction with Act 912 during the 2017 General Assembly.
An attorney, Davis worked for about years with the Arkansas Department of Education, advising the commissioner and education board regarding legal and procedural matters. Before that, she worked for DIS assisting the agency’s general counsel.
“As CPO, my goal is to work with other state agencies to establish a robust data privacy program that will provide a more efficient response to the needs of the citizens of Arkansas,” Davis said in a news release. “I look forward to understanding the unique needs and particular circumstances of each agency and collaborating with them to resolve any legal or analytical challenges of an enterprise privacy solution.”
The CPO oversees compliance with laws governing privacy and access to protected data. Act 912 also created the position of chief data officer and the Data and Transparency Panel on which Davis will serve as a member. Richard Wang, executive director of the Institute for Chief Data Officers at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, was named CDO in 2017.
“Mrs. Davis will work in partnership with the CDO by providing guidance to ensure that data sharing agreements protect individual privacy as required by law and by developing policies and processes designed to protect citizen data,” DIS Director Yessica Jones said.
DIS is a cabinet-level agency of Arkansas state government that supports about 300 state agencies, boards and commissions, K-12 public schools, business and administrative departments of higher education, cities and counties, and public safety organizations across the state.
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