Senior Agency Official for Privacy (SAOP)/Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) & Director of Open Government

Dr. Purvis is the Director of the Office of Privacy and Open Government (OPOG) and the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) at the United States Department of Commerce (DOC).

She is a Senior Executive Service member and performs as the Senior Agency Official for Privacy (SAOP) within the DOC. In this capacity, Dr. Purvis serves as the key policy advisor on implementing the Privacy Act of 1974; the privacy provisions of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and of the E-Government Act of 2002; the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA); the principles of transparency and open government; and leads the Department’s Directives Management Program. Dr. Purvis also represents the Department on the National Science and Technology Council, Federal CIO Council Privacy Committee.

Dr. Purvis served prior as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS). As the NESDIS CIO, Dr. Purvis was responsible for ensuring the security posture of ground control systems for critical high impact satellites including: the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite Preparatory Project (NPP), the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (NPOES), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite - R series (GOES R), and multiple international level agreements for foreign data acquisition and exchange.

Dr. Purvis is an Attorney, a member of the Maryland Bar, and a United States Air Force (USAF) veteran with over 20 years of agency-level leadership experiences in information technology (IT) law, IT privacy, IT architecture, IT security, systems development, acquisitions, operations and maintenance, and program management.

Prior to her federal service, Dr. Purvis served as a Senior Manager Consultant to the government from the Noblis Earth Observation Systems Cyber Security/Information Assurance Group. Her work with Federal Agencies in this capacity dates to 2001. In the Air Force, she was a Communications and Computer Systems Officer who supported the Cyber Criminal Investigations (CCI) program. Her last assignment was at the USAF Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) as Chief of the Computer Operations Division.

Dr. Purvis is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University, a dual major Master’s degree in Acquisitions and Procurement, and Computer Information Resources from Webster University in St. Louis, and a Juris Doctor degree from the George Mason University Law School.

She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). Her awards include a Certificate of Outstanding Contribution from Noblis, a Certification of Recognition as a Rising Star from the Government and Defense Technology Awards Conference, an AFOSI Communications and Information Professionalism Award, AF Company Grade Officer of the Year, and four AF Company Grade Officer of the Quarter awards.