Cristina Blanton serves as the Chief Privacy & Data Protection Officer for the U.T. System, working with 13 institutions on matters specifically related to data and privacy protection laws including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act), and international regulations. With over 17 years of career experience, Cristina provides specialized training and legal guidance on matters related to privacy and data protection, including SAAS agreement negotiations and other technical contract management and negotiations. Creating policies, guidance, and white papers related to data privacy ethics, responsible use, and privacy awareness is also a focus of Cristina’s practice. Cristina is a Certified Privacy Professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Her passion for privacy can be found through her leadership with various advocacy organizations such as EDUCAUSE, serving as co-chair for the Chief Privacy Officers forum, Texas Department of Information Resources’ Data Management Advisory Council, serving as co-chair, and 2021 participant in the development of privacy related components for the NIST Privacy Taxonomy for the NIST Privacy Workforce Public Working Group (PWWG).