Privacy Tips

WV Executive Branch Privacy Tip

Privacy Officers – Who’s Who and What Do They Do? 

Part 2: The State Privacy Office

WVs Chief Privacy Officer and Assistant Chief Privacy Officer lead the privacy related activities of the Executive Branch agencies under the Governor’s control.

Chief Privacy Officer (CPO)

Working with the Department Privacy Officers (DPO) in each Executive Branch agency, the CPO performs many duties. Here are just a few of them:

• Working and serving as privacy consultant to all Executive Branch agencies, legal counsel, and other related parties to represent privacy interests with external parties (national, state or local government bodies). 

• Working with DPOs to ensure all Executive Branch agencies comply with privacy laws and follow the privacy principles. 

• Maintaining current knowledge of advancements in information privacy technologies along with identifying federal and state privacy laws (Privacy Requirements) and applying them as needed.

• Serving as a liaison with the Office for Civil Rights and other regulatory/oversight entities, and assisting Executive Branch agencies in any compliance reviews or investigations.

Assistant Chief Privacy Officer (ACPO)

The ACPO provides administrative assistance to the CPO to ensure Executive Branch privacy goals are met as follows:

• Identifying, implementing, and maintaining Executive Branch’s privacy policies and procedures through the DPOs.

• Implementing and monitoring auditing programs. 

• Training DPOs and making educational and training programs available to DPOs to assist in the training of their department’s employees.

• Reviewing the DPOs' incident reports and post-incident reports, offering assistance to the DPO as needed, and recommending changes in policies and procedures arising from this review.

• Designing training programs to educate workforce on issues identified through incidents and audits.

For more information on the WV Executive Branch Privacy Program, visit our website at

www.privacy.wv.gov