MY STORY
GDPR found me instead of the other way around. In November of 2017, I received a call asking if I could come to Croatia to help a group of international schools get ready for a new regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aimed at protecting data privacy.
I thought this was another in a long line of typical "compliance" projects I had done throughout my career as a CPA and project manager, but I was wrong. It turns out that GDPR is much more than compliance and is the guidance we all need to navigate the digital world.
It turns out that working in data protection is deeply meaningful and of great value to everyone. I am eager to share my knowledge, expertise and "how to" with you. The purpose of this website is to introduce you to GDPR, to data protection, and help you implement a program at your school.
My industry expertise is schools and K-12 education. All the information, diagrams, spreadsheets, templates, and guidance are customized for schools, both US and international.
Let's get started!
Sylvia Gillpatrick, CPA, MBA, PMP and DPO (Data Protection Officer)
SCHOOL DATA PROTECTION EXPERIENCE
Partner schools are primarily located in Europe and in several non-European countries.
As a DPO (certified Data Protection Officer) I have consulted extensively with CEESA, a non-profit that provides professional development and collaboration services to 21 schools in 19 countries.
This includes QSI, Quality Schools International, owner and manager of international schools throughout the world.
COLLABORATING ACROSS BORDERS
A long term goal for privacy professionals is to build a global community that shares a common commitment to protecting personal data.
In my capacity as DPO, I have collaborated with other groups of international schools, including the law department at Maastricht University, offering a customized Data Protection Officer (DPO) certification.
We know that accessing cadres of trained professionals can be a point of leverage to "design privacy into" our thinking and development of programs.
We will have been successful when respect for data privacy is embedded in our lives, is scalable and sustainable in the global community.