About the IAPP

Amelia Vance, a globally recognized expert in child and student privacy, is the Founder and President of the Public Interest Privacy Center, a nonprofit organization. In this role, she advises government agencies, policymakers, companies, and other organizations on legal protections and actionable best practices to ensure the responsible use of child and student data. She is one of the foremost experts on student and child privacy law in the country, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and state student and child privacy laws. Amelia is also an adjunct professor of privacy law and EU data protection at William & Mary Law School, co-chair of the Federal Education Privacy Coalition, and staffs the Student & Child Privacy Center at AASA, the School Superintendents Association. She is a regular speaker at privacy, safety, and education conferences in the U.S. and abroad, has testified before Congress and several state legislatures, and has presented at events hosted by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Education. She currently serves on the Maryland Student Data Privacy Council.

Amelia has published several resources on child and student privacy, including co-authoring the chapter “A Practical Guide to Complying with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act” in the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ textbook on Children’s Privacy and Safety; “Student Privacy’s History of Unintended Consequences” in the Seton Hall Legislative Journal; PIPC’s ongoing series on “Fixing FERPA;” Teaching privacy and ethical guardrails for the AI imperative in education” for the New South Wales Department of Education in Australia; and “The Privacy and Equity Implications of Using Self-Harm Monitoring Technologies: Recommendations for Schools.” Amelia is also regularly cited in the press, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Vice News, Marketplace, AP, NBC News, USA Today, Politico, The Atlantic, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Vox, The Tampa Bay Times, The 74 Million, and Education Week.

Amelia previously directed student privacy programs at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), and the School Superintendents Association (AASA). She previously served on the OECD expert working group drafting guidance for the updated Recommendation on Children in the Digital Environment and the New York State Education Department Data Privacy Advisory Council.

Amelia is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the International Association of Privacy Professionals.