Appointed by Governor Spencer Cox as the inaugural chief privacy officer for the State of Utah, Christopher Bramwell is entrusted with the pivotal role of architecting and implementing a comprehensive information privacy program across all levels of government. This position demands close collaboration with public sector entities, private stakeholders, and governmental agencies to ensure robust data protection and privacy practices.

In his tenure, Christopher has successfully spearheaded the creation of a statewide strategic privacy plan and played an instrumental role in the enactment of the Government Data Privacy Act (HB491, 2024 General Session). Furthermore, he secured critical funding for the establishment of the Utah Office of Data Privacy, dedicated to assisting governmental entities in fulfilling their privacy obligations.

Utah will be the first state to hire a privacy ombudsperson to provide mediation and dispute resolutions services regarding privacy complaints between governmental entities and individuals. Christopher’s experience has demonstrated that public employees and officials universally value privacy. Building and maturing privacy programs is challenging, yet achievable through strategic planning and steadfast leadership.