Thursday, May 29, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Grand Ballroom, Utah Valley University
Utah Office of Data Privacy, Department of Government Operations
Smith College of Engineering and Technology
Utah System of Higher Education
Utah State Board of Education
Utah League of Cities and Towns
Utah Association of Counties
Department of Workforce Services
Utah Office of Data Privacy
Department of Government Operations
Oracle
Amazon Web Services
Observe Point
In today’s digital government, data governance and privacy are no longer back-office functions — they are foundational to public trust, operational efficiency, and ethical service delivery. The Data Governance Summit brings together leaders from every level of government to align around a shared vision— protecting the privacy of Utahns while making data work better for them.
Over a lifetime, individuals interact with nearly every category of government — health, education, public safety, transportation, and more. When data is well-governed, those interactions are secure, seamless, and centered on the individual, not the system.
This summit invites agencies to:
Together, we’re not just solving technical challenges — we’re shaping the future of responsible government. Data Governance is Built Here.
 Christopher Bramwell Utah Chief Privacy Officer Christopher Bramwell serves as Utah’s Chief Privacy Officer and Director of the Office of Data Privacy, where he leads statewide efforts to modernize governance and balance of privacy, transparency, and use of data. He helped draft and implement the Government Data Privacy Act and is building tools and frameworks to support privacy programs across all levels of government. Christopher is also a father of three, an avid runner, and is currently building a cabin in the Utah mountains.
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 Justin Jones Executive Director, Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy Justin Jones has served as Executive Director of the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy since August 2021, overseeing the Institute’s operations, programs, fundraising, and partnerships. Prior to this role, he was UVU’s Senior Director of Donor Relations and Annual Giving, and earlier served as Chief of Staff to two university presidents, helping guide the transition to President Astrid S. Tuminez. Jones previously worked as Vice President of Public Policy and Communications for the Salt Lake Chamber, advocating for key issues at the state and federal level. His career also includes leading crisis communications at Rio Tinto Kennecott during the Bingham Canyon Mine collapse and holding strategic roles with the Utah Transit Authority, Utah County Health Department, and the administrations of Governors Michael O. Leavitt and Olene Walker. |
Utah is undertaking a bold and unprecedented effort to modernize its data governance laws, privacy protections, and transparency frameworks. This keynote panel, featuring members of Utah’s Privacy Governing Board, will explore the state’s vision for data governance and the enormous challenge of creating a model that balances privacy, transparency, and data use.
 Representative Jefferson Moss Utah House of Representatives Majority Leader, District 51 Beginning legislative service in 2017, Rep. Jefferson Moss represents Utah House’s 51st District, a slice of northern Utah County stretching from Bluffdale to just past Saratoga Springs. He currently serves as the House Majority Leader and is an active member and voice in the Executive Appropriations Committee, House Education Committee,and the House Economic Development & Workforce Services Committee.
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 Senator Kirk Cullimore Utah Senate Majority Leader, District 19 Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore was elected to the Utah Senate in 2018 and represents District 19, the southeast part of Salt Lake County and sections of northeast Utah County. He currently serves as the Majority Leader for the Senate Majority Caucus. Sen. Cullimore received an associate’s degree in music from Utah Valley University. He then served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. After returning, he continued his education and received a bachelor’s degree in music from Brigham Young University. He subsequently taught music for six years and managed a music teaching studio. Sen. Cullimore then went on to pursue a law degree at the University of Oklahoma and began his law career in Oklahoma primarily in Federal Indian Law. He moved back to Utah and runs his own law practice focusing on general business representation, land use, water development and technology issues.
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 Marvin Dodge Executive Director, Utah Department of Government Operations Governor Spencer Cox appointed Marvin Dodge Executive Director of the Utah Department of Government Operations in April 2023. The department includes Administrative Rules, Archives & Records, Facilities Construction & Management, Finance, Fleet Services, Human Resources, Data Privacy, Purchasing & General Services, Risk Management, and Technology Services. Prior to his appointment with GovOps, Mr. Dodge served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services at both Southern Utah University and Snow College. His service also included working for three Utah Governors including Michael O. Leavitt, Olene S. Walker, and Jon M. Huntsman Jr. in various assignments including: Deputy Executive Director of the Utah Department of Administrative Services, Chief Financial Officer for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Administrator for the Utah Substance Abuse and Anti-Violence Coordinating Council, and other administrative functions. |
As Utah takes steps toward implementing a State-Endorsed Digital Identity, SB260 has set the foundation for a future where residents can securely verify their identity online. This stakeholder roundtable will bring together key policymakers, technology leaders, and industry experts to discuss the vision, opportunities, and challenges of digital identity in Utah.
 Representative Paul Cutler Utah House of Representatives, District 18 Paul Cutler was elected to the Utah State Legislature in 2022. He serves as Vice-Chair of the House Economic Development & Workforce Service Committee. He previous served 12 years as a Centerville Mayor & Councilman. Paul has a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Utah and an MBA from the Marriott School at Brigham Young University. When not debating legislation, he works as an Engineering Director for a global tech company, leading consulting teams that build and optimize massive scale wireless, optical, and data center networks for large service providers.
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 Alan Fuller Utah Chief Information Officer Alan Fuller was appointed Chief Information Officer for the state of Utah in March 2021. As CIO, Fuller oversees all IT functions for executive branch agencies in Utah with the goal to improve innovation and improve government services through the use of technology. A resident of Lehi, Utah, Fuller has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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 Joe Jackson Utah Chief Technology Officer Joe Jackson brings a decade of public sector leadership to his current role as Chief Technology Officer for the State of Utah's Division of Technology Services. Throughout his career with Technology Services and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Joe has focused on providing government agencies with innovative technologies and accessible data. His approach blends practical technology and management experience with his academic background in biomedical engineering and business administration to drive efficiencies in public service delivery.
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 Steven McCown Utah Privacy Commissioner Steven McCown is a seasoned technologist and privacy advocate, currently serving as a commissioner on the Utah Privacy Commission.With over 35 years of experience in software architecture, cybersecurity, and digital identity, he is also the Chief Architect at Anonyome Labs, a company focused on privacy-enhancing technologies.McCown has held leadership roles in organizations such as RFinity and TekStarts, and has contributed to national security initiatives during his tenure with the U.S. Air Force and Idaho National Laboratory. He actively participates in global privacy and identity standards development through his involvement with the Sovrin Foundation, Trust Over IP, and the Decentralized Identity Foundation.McCown holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University and resides in Mapleton, Utah.
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 Samuel Smith, Ph.D. Utah Privacy Commissioner Samuel M. Smith Ph.D. works as a strategic consultant at the intersection of AI, security, and identity. He has written and continues to write seminal white papers on decentralized identity and security, AI, and machine learning. He provides strategic technical and business model guidance to startups in these fields and is active in shaping the underlying standards and driving their adoption. He is the originator of the KERI suite of protocols and standard specifications at the Trust over IP Foundation within the Linux Foundation, which is on an ISO track for adoption. These have been adopted by the Global Legal Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), as fostered by the G-20, for the global standard verifiable LEI (Legal Entity Identifier). He originated the concept of Self-Sovereign Identity and is a past chairman of the Sovrin Foundation. Samuel received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Brigham Young University in 1991. He spent 10 years at Florida Atlantic University, reaching full professor status before retiring to become an entrepreneur. He has over 100 refereed publications in the areas of AI, machine learning, autonomous vehicle systems, automated reasoning, and distributed systems. He was the principal investigator on over $25 million in federally funded research projects in these areas and is one of the pioneers in the original development of reinforcement learning methodologies. He brings unique expertise to the intersection of data security and safety for data supply chains, including the safety of machine learning data supply chains.
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 Timothy Ruff Digital Identity Expert Timothy Ruff is a pioneering entrepreneur in digital identity and trust technologies, currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer at Digital Trust Venture Partners.He co-founded Evernym, where he served as CEO, and was instrumental in developing Sovrin, a leading self-sovereign identity network.Ruff is also the co-inventor of the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI), a significant advancement in organizational identity.With over 25 years of experience, his career includes co-founding Teleira, a company specializing in communications outage recovery, and leading a division at inContact that achieved over $1 billion in cumulative sales.Ruff holds multiple patents and is a recognized speaker in the industry.He resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife and seven children. |
This session will examine the potential elimination of GRAMA Part 6 and the consolidation of its requirements into the Government Data Privacy Act (GDPA). With a focus on legal alignment, transparency, and operational efficiency, attendees—particularly government attorneys and records officers—will engage in a structured discussion to analyze gaps, conflicts, and opportunities within Utah’s data governance laws.
 Micah Vorwaller Deputy Chief Privacy Officer Micah Vorwaller is an attorney specializing in information privacy and security law, in which he has represented both private and governmental entities. He is currently the Deputy Chief Privacy Officer for the State of Utah and is working to establish comprehensive privacy laws and requirements for governmental entities in Utah to ensure that all Utahn's privacy interests are protected.
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 Jared Tingey Legal Director, Utah League of Cities and Town Jared Tingey is the Legal Director for the League of Cities and Towns. He spends most of his time speaking to legislators, drafting legislation, and training on legislation that has passed. He has spent his career representing local governments in legal matters and specializes in land use, finance, and public infrastructure laws. He was actively engaged in HB 491 that passed in 2024 legislative session and HB 444 this year and looks forward to continue working toward a meaningful change in Utah privacy laws.
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 Su Chon Privacy Officer, Department of Workforce Services Su J. Chon is a seasoned attorney and former trial and administrative law judge with a wealth of experience in litigation and highly regulated industries. She is an expert in complex civil litigation, contract negotiation and regulatory issues. Chon earned a B.A. in English and a J.D. from Brigham Young University. Currently, Chon serves as the privacy officer and legal counsel for the Department of Workforce Services. Previously, she was an administrative law judge for the Department of Commerce, where she oversaw regulatory proceedings and implemented efficient processes. She also served as a judge in the Third District Court, presiding over diverse civil and criminal litigation. Earlier in her career, she was an ombudsman/attorney for the State of Utah and an attorney at Callister, Nebeker & McCullough, where she honed her expertise in areas like real property, business law and regulatory compliance. Her outstanding work has earned her several Utah State Bar and community awards, and she is also actively involved in community service. |
This session features four consecutive speakers covering a variety of topics including initiating privacy programs, privacy awareness training, and compliance notices.
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Christopher Bramwell Utah Chief Privacy Officer Christopher Bramwell serves as Utah’s Chief Privacy Officer and Director of the Office of Data Privacy, where he leads statewide efforts to modernize governance and balance of privacy, transparency, and use of data. He helped draft and implement the Government Data Privacy Act and is building tools and frameworks to support privacy programs across all levels of government. Christopher is also a father of three, an avid runner, and is currently building a cabin in the Utah mountains. |
 Shane Paul Utah Privacy Training Director Shane serves as the Training Director for the Office of Data Privacy, bringing over 15 years of dedicated service to state government. Throughout his career, he has contributed to multiple departments in roles spanning training, project management, software development, and data privacy and security. Shane is a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and a certified Scrum Master, combining a strong understanding of privacy frameworks with agile project leadership. Beyond his professional pursuits, Shane enjoys running, kayaking, hosting local bonsai cultivation workshops, yard selling, and—most importantly—spending quality time with his wife and three daughters. |
With the passage of HB444 in the 2025 legislative session, all governmental entities are now required to provide website privacy notices to ensure compliance with the law. In this session, Dylan Sellers (ObservePoint) and Brian Nelson (ODP Privacy Analyst) will break down the requirements and guide attendees on how to scan their websites for tracking technologies to identify potential compliance gaps.
 Dylan Sellers Vice President of Customer Success, ObservePoint Dylan Sellers is the Vice President of Customer Success at ObservePoint, a digital governance platform based in Utah. Since joining the company in 2019, he has led multiple teams—including Technical Support, Customer Success, Enablement, and Solutions Engineering—focusing on client retention and delivering tailored solutions to enhance customer value. Sellers began his career at ObservePoint as a Solutions Engineer and Technical Writer, building custom integrations and managing product documentation. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Brigham Young University and has interned in product and project management roles at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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 Brian Nelson ODP Privacy Analyst Brian Nelson is a Privacy Analyst with the Office of Data Privacy. He loves helping people improve their privacy and data governance practices. He has spent the majority of his career in the public sector, gaining experiences in areas such as data analysis, operations, finance and project management. While privacy and government records management best-practices is his primary job function by day, Brian also enjoys volunteering in various local programs and travel. |
UVU professors Majid Memari and George Rudolph, in collaboration with AWS, will showcase a proof-of-concept system designed to support Utah’s data governance efforts. This AI-powered knowledge base will provide Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and Records Officers with intelligent assistance for tasks such as writing notice statements, generating annual privacy program reports, and conducting Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). The demo will highlight how AI agents can streamline compliance and improve efficiency in managing governmental data responsibilities.
 Majid Memari, Ph.D. UVU Professor Artificial Intelligence researcher and educator with a Ph.D. in Computer Science and experience since 2015 leading the full lifecycle of production-grade AI systems. Led cross-functional teams on funded projects across sectors including education, legal-tech, healthcare, and government. Specializes in LLMs, deep learning, and computer vision, with a focus on scalable, ethical, and high-impact AI solutions. Combines academic leadership with strategic consulting to advance real-world innovation.
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 George Rudolph, Ph.D. UVU Professor Dr. George Rudolph is Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Utah Valley University, where he has been a faculty member since 2016.He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Brigham Young University in 1995 specializing in Neural Networks and Machine Learning. Hisresearch interests include machine learning, software architecture, and artificial intelligence with a focus on how machines learn withoutbeing explicitly programmed. Prior to coming to UVU, He taught Computer Science at The Citadel in Charleston , SC for 13 years, and helpedlaunch a cybersecurity major and minor and helped The Citadel obtain the NSA Center of AcademicExcellence in Cyber Defense Education.Prior to that he worked for Motorola as a software engineer and software architect. He loves research and teaching and is dedicated tostudent success. |
Data governance is a complex but crucial aspect of modern government operations. This panel will introduce a transformative approach to simplifying data governance by consolidating over 500+ general records schedules into broad categories based on common core public services. The panel will also serve as the launch of UVU’s new whitepaper on this topic, which offers a strategy for cities and counties to streamline data management and compliance.
 Dr. Yonas Yohannes Oracle Yonas Yohannes is CTO of the Oracle Cloud, Financial Services Industry, Fintech Cloud Architecture and Engineering for Oracle Corporation. Yohannes was named to this role in 2021 after serving as Principal, Technology Transformation with Hackett Group, Inc. He also was Executive VP, Chief Strategist and CIO, Corporate Technology and Merger Integration with Wells Fargo Bank from 2008 to 2012. He previously worked for McKinsey & Company, Roundarch Inc., FedEx Corporation, Spear Education, Bytes Digital, Risk Management Solutions, and Western Alliance Bancorporation. Yohannes holds multiple degrees, including a BE in Physics and Engineering Physics from the University of Saskatchewan, an ME in Biomedical and Medical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Bio-Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, both from the University of Tennessee, and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.
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 Dr. David Connelly Associate Provost, UVU Dr. David R. Connelly is the Associate Provost for Student Success at Utah Valley University. He is a former faculty senate president and chair of the History and Political Science Department. His primary teaching interests are in public administration with specific interests in public management, public IT policy, leadership, performance measurement and survey research. David has worked extensively in economic and community development in rural areas while working for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) for eight years and teaching at Western Illinois University. He has also worked developing and implementing information technology policy at the local, state and federal level while at the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) at the University at Albany. David has a Ph.D. from the University at Albany while his MPA is from Brigham Young University. His current research interests include the metrics and measurement of student success, public sector sustainability measures, rural policy, and information technology applications for government and public management curriculum issues.
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 Ken Williams Utah State Archivist Ken Williams is State Archivist of Utah and functions as the Utah State Archives and Records Service director. He has worked at the State Archives since 1992. As a child of a military family, Ken was born abroad and lived in several states but his roots are completely Utahan.He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in History and worked his way through graduate school as an internin the Special Collections at USU. Ken also completed post-graduate studies in History and Archives at Florida State University and attended the Georgia Archives Institute.As director, Ken has adopted the strategic vision that looks to ensure the “right records, to the right people, at the right time.” Currently, the division is concentrating all efforts on digital preservation and access.
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 Amelia Powers Gardner Utah County Commissioner Amelia has over 15 years experience in the private sector working in engineering, manufacturing, and business development. She is a community leader, business consultant, disruptive technology advocate, government innovation leader, and mentor for career women. Amelia serves on the Utah Digital Innovation and Blockchain Taskforce, the State Growth Taskforce, and on the Boards for several companies and nonprofits. Prior to being elected as County Commissioner, Amelia served as the Utah County Clerk/Auditor, where she championed innovation and efficiency in government. Under Amelia’s leadership, Utah County launched the first ever completely online marriage license system utilizing blockchain to create the first Verifiable Digital Credential offered in the state of Utah, became the first jurisdiction in the United States allowing people with disabilities to vote using blockchain technology, and implemented paperless finance processes earning her a GovTech top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers for 2020. Amelia grew up in Utah County, earned a BS from Weber State University, then she went to work for Caterpillar, spending time in the Midwest and southern US and Canada, before returning home to Utah County. Amelia and her Husband Tobin live in Pleasant Grove, Utah and have 6 children.
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 Katy Challis Director of Privacy, Utah State Board of Education Katy is the director of privacy for the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) where she works to protect student and educator data at USBE, school districts, and charter schools across the state. Formerly Katy taught middle school science for seven years and later worked as an educational technology specialist (EdTech) for Tooele County School District for four years. Fun fact: Katy loves rocks more than any other inanimate object in the whole wide world.
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Governmental data holds significant longitudinal value, offering critical insights for policy-making, public services, and research. However, leveraging this data while maintaining strong privacy protections presents complex challenges.
 Dr. Barclay Burns Assistant Dean, UVU Smith College of Engineering & Technology Barclay Lincoln Burns holds Ph.D.s in Instructional Psychology and Technology from BYU, where he researched communities of learners and the science of learning, and in Strategy and Organizational Economics from the University of Cambridge, where he focused on the neuroscience of decision-making and behaviors of health care organizations that improve patient outcomes. He is a Fellow at the Cambridge Judge Business School. Barclay founded the educational technology company Learning.com, which teaches STEM to millions of K-12 students. He previously served as a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Utah. He currently sits on the board of the Utah Innovation Fund, a VC investing in technology and life sciences from Utah universities. He is a member of Utah's AI Policy Working Group. Barclay founded GenerativeImpact.AI, an advisory firm whose projects include an AI-mediated behavioral health initiative focused on belonging and connection, currently being incubated at Intermountain Health.
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 Dr. Zach Boyd Director, Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Dr. Boyd is the Director of the Office of Artificial Intelligence for the State of Utah, where he leads out on developing AI regulatory policy and clearing paths for novel business applications of AI. He on long-term leave from his role as a professor at BYU where he teaches applied and computational mathematics. Dr. Boyd’s research lab focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mathematical modeling in social science applications, such as psychology, economics, and social networks. Before working at BYU, Dr. Boyd was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an NDSEG Fellow at UCLA, a research associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a Presidential Scholar at BYU.
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Samuel Smith, Ph.D. Utah Privacy Commissioner Samuel M. Smith Ph.D. works as a strategic consultant at the intersection of AI, security, and identity. He has written and continues to write seminal white papers on decentralized identity and security, AI, and machine learning. He provides strategic technical and business model guidance to startups in these fields and is active in shaping the underlying standards and driving their adoption. He is the originator of the KERI suite of protocols and standard specifications at the Trust over IP Foundation within the Linux Foundation, which is on an ISO track for adoption. These have been adopted by the Global Legal Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), as fostered by the G-20, for the global standard verifiable LEI (Legal Entity Identifier). He originated the concept of Self-Sovereign Identity and is a past chairman of the Sovrin Foundation. Samuel received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Brigham Young University in 1991. He spent 10 years at Florida Atlantic University, reaching full professor status before retiring to become an entrepreneur. He has over 100 refereed publications in the areas of AI, machine learning, autonomous vehicle systems, automated reasoning, and distributed systems. He was the principal investigator on over $25 million in federally funded research projects in these areas and is one of the pioneers in the original development of reinforcement learning methodologies. He brings unique expertise to the intersection of data security and safety for data supply chains, including the safety of machine learning data supply chains.
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Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are rapidly becoming a key tool in public safety, but they also raise important questions about data privacy, oversight, and use limitations. This session will provide a comprehensive look at current and future policy directions for ALPR use in Utah.
This session is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for dialogue between lawmakers, law enforcement, privacy officials, and the community on how Utah can responsibly leverage ALPR technology while protecting civil liberties.
 Representative Kristen Chevrier Utah House of Representatives, District 54 Representative Kristen Chevrier began her service in the Utah legislature on January 1, 2025. She has dedicated over 30 years to Utah’s political process, as a leader in both local and state Republican Party leadership and as a strong legislative advocate–on a state and national level–for parental rights, informed consent, and data privacy. She co-founded a local informed consent advocacy organization that has been instrumental in educating legislators and policymakers over the past 11 years and in helping to pass legislation doctor/patient relationship, rein in agency authority, and protect and bolster informed consent. Kristen and her husband Brian raised their family in Utah and are grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of this great state.
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 Captain J. Tanner Jensen Utah Department of Public Safety Captain Tanner Jensen began his career in law enforcement in 2008 as a state trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol. In 2012, Captain Jensen became a full-time member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Joint Terrorism Task Force where he gained a passion for working with local and federal law enforcement partners focused on counter terrorism efforts. In 2016, Captain Jensen returned to work with the Utah Department of Public Safety as the supervisor of the Threat Management Unit. In 2018 Captain Jensen participated in a yearlong fellowship in Washington D.C. at the National Counterterrorism Center with the Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team. This fellowship gave him the knowledge and experience to leverage the intelligence community and fusion center concept to best support his home agency's public safety efforts. In 2019 Captain Jensen was appointed to be the Director of Utah's fusion center, the Statewide Information and Analysis Center. Captain Jensen is a Certified Threat Manager and member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and a graduate of Brigham Young University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History.
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Christopher Bramwell Utah Chief Privacy Officer Christopher Bramwell serves as Utah’s Chief Privacy Officer and Director of the Office of Data Privacy, where he leads statewide efforts to modernize governance and balance of privacy, transparency, and use of data. He helped draft and implement the Government Data Privacy Act and is building tools and frameworks to support privacy programs across all levels of government. Christopher is also a father of three, an avid runner, and is currently building a cabin in the Utah mountains.
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 Representative from Flock Safety To be announced.
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This session features three consecutive speakers covering a variety of topics including privacy impact assessments, the complaint mediation process, and privacy auditing standards.
Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) are essential tools for evaluating the privacy risks of new IT systems that process personal data. In this session, George McEwan will guide attendees through the necessity of conducting PIAs, introduce the first version of the Office of Data Privacy’s standardized PIA, and discuss how entities should incorporate the PIA into their System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws.
 George McEwan Utah Privacy Architect George serves as the Privacy Architect for the State of Utah within the Office of Data Privacy, leveraging extensive experience in technology and public service. Previously, he held key leadership positions, including Chief Strategy Officer for the Division of Technology Services and IT Director for the Department of Health during the pandemic. As a former Vice President of Engineering and Centerville City Councilman, George brings a unique blend of technical expertise and civic engagement. Beyond his professional endeavors, he is a seasoned storyteller, captivating audiences at state festivals with tales drawn from his experiences as a soldier, pilot, international traveler, and inventor. |
The Utah Legislature has recognized that individuals have a fundamental interest in and inherent expectation of privacy regarding the personal data they provide to a governmental entity. As a result, governmental entities are required to process an individual’s personal data in a manner that is consistent with these data privacy interests and expectations.
 Lana Taylor Utah Privacy Ombudsperson Lana Taylor was appointed by Governor Cox as the Data Privacy Ombudsperson for the State of Utah. She serves as a data privacy resource for individuals and governmental entities. As the Ombudsperson, she responds to and resolves complaints regarding the data privacy practices of governmental entities. Ms. Taylor is also a Court Rostered Mediator and may mediate data privacy disputes between individuals and governmental entities. Before joining the Utah Office of Data Privacy, Ms. Taylor worked as an Assistant Utah Attorney General and as a Deputy Salt Lake District Attorney. Ms. Taylor received her Juris Doctorate from the S.J. Quinney College of Law and her honors degree in political science from the University of Utah. |
As Utah expands its privacy compliance efforts, audits are becoming a key tool to ensure governmental entities meet their obligations and protect the personal privacy of those they serve. Nora Kurzova, state privacy auditor, will introduce the newly developed privacy auditing standards and explain how privacy audits will be conducted, what entities should expect, and how to prepare effectively.
 Nora Kurzova State Privacy Auditor, Utah Office of the State Auditor Nora Kurzova was appointed as Utah’s first State Privacy Auditor by State Auditor Tina Cannon, confirmed by the Senate in February 2025. Before joining the State of Utah in 2022, Nora served as Global Head of Privacy at Packeta Group and MetLife, and as Chief Privacy and Records Officer at Tyco International. She began her career in anti-corruption and investigations. Nora holds a Master’s and a doctoral degree in law from Charles University in Prague, and an LL.M. in international law from the University of Greenwich. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional, Privacy Auditor, Change Management Professional, and holds a Security+ certification. A recognized speaker on privacy—especially data deletion and privacy as a human right—Nora also enjoys creative writing and filmmaking. |
