Caitlin Fennessy

Adjunct Professor

Caitlin Fennessy is a senior policy advisor with the Data Flows and Privacy Sheild Team Lead at the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA). Since joining ITA in 2009, Caitlin has focused on privacy policy and transborder data flow issues as they impact trade.  Caitlin leads ITA’s work on European privacy issues and from 2014 through 2016 served as part of the Department of Commerce’s EU-U.S. Privacy Shield negotiating team.  Caitlin represents ITA as a delegate to and Vice Chair of the APEC Data Privacy Subgroup. Caitlin’s work through APEC has focused on implementation of the Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) and Privacy Recognition for Processors (PRP) Systems and increasing the interoperability of the CBPR and PRP Systems with European Binding Corporate Rules to assist industry in cross-regional compliance.  

Caitlin served as an adjunct professor of international privacy policy at the University of Maine School of Law in 2015 and 2016 and at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 2014.  Prior to joining ITA, Caitlin worked in the National Security Division of the Office of Management and Budget and with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Caitlin has a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in social policy from Northwestern University.