Meet Shaundra Watson

Senior Director of Data, AI & Privacy Policy

Shaundra Watson

Shaundra Watson is CIPL’s Senior Director of Data, AI & Privacy Policy. Shaundra  has wide-ranging expertise on global regulatory compliance and policy advocacy, focusing on AI, privacy, and security. 

She previously led engagement on AI and privacy at the Business Software Alliance, an organization representing AI developers, cybersecurity companies, and cloud computing providers, where she spearheaded BSA’s contributions to key global policy dialogues, including by drafting comments on AI and privacy regulatory proposals and draft legislation; developing industry best practices on AI governance; and speaking in notable policy fora, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hearings examining responsible privacy approaches, a forum in India with policymakers on development of India’s privacy law, and an AI briefing for Members of Congress.

Shaundra has also served in other private sector roles as Senior Counsel, Privacy and Information Security at a Fortune 500 global entertainment company, where she advised business and technology units on CCPA and GDPR implementation, and as an associate at what is now Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, where she handled a range of matters, including intellectual property and international trade.

In the public sector, Shaundra served as an Attorney-Advisor to two Commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, including the Chair, advising them on privacy, data security, advertising, and international issues in over 70 enforcement actions. Other notable FTC contributions include her role in negotiating the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and implementation of the Global CBPR and PRP programs. During her FTC tenure, which spanned more than a decade, she also served as a Counsel for International Consumer Protection in the Office of International Affairs and an attorney in the Divisions of Identity and Privacy Protection and Marketing Practices. Watson began her legal career as a clerk for the Honorable Justice Peggy Quince at the Supreme Court of Florida.

Shaundra has been active in advancing policy dialogues on privacy and AI, including as a member of the CCWC AI Advisory Board, where she was a delegate to the United Nations CSTD meetings in Geneva, the IAPP Publications and Education Advisory Boards, President of PolicyStack AI, a network that facilitates professional and policy engagement, and as a law school guest lecturer on international privacy and AI governance. Shaundra holds two IAPP certifications—CIPP/US and AIGP — and is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.