Joel Schwarz | Adjunct Law Professor, Cybersecurity and Privacy
Albany Law School

Joel Schwarz is a highly skilled attorney specializing in privacy, cybersecurity, cyber intelligence and compliance oversight and intellectual property rights. Joel is currently Managing Partner of The Schwarz Group, LLC, providing privacy, data governance and cybersecurity advice to various clients, including Natera - a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing dedicated to improving lives and outcomes in the areas of oncology, organ health and women’s health - as well as several other mid to large companies in various industries. Prior to consulting for Natera, Joel served for more than 2 years as Natera’s Senior Director for Corporate Data Privacy. Joel is also an Adjunct Professor at Albany Law School, where he develops and teaches Masters-level courses on cybercrime, cybersecurity and privacy, and is also Co-Founder and Board member of a nationwide initiative known as the Student Data Privacy Project (https://www.studentdataprivacyproject.com/), focused on strengthening our federal educational laws (FERPA), and better protecting student data privacy. Previously, Joel served as the first privacy officer for the National Counterterrorism Center, was a prosecutor for the Department of Justice, and before that, the New York Attorney General’s office, where he prosecuted cases relating to privacy violations and cybercrime.  He’s a certified information privacy professional (CIPP) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), and a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) by ISACA. Joel frequently speaks and writes on privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, emerging technologies and intellectual property matters, and has published in a range of journals and online fora, to include The Hill, Bloomberg, Education Week, the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Privacy Advisor, etc. (see https://cyberprivacyconsultant.com/press/ for papers, publications, news and TV interviews, etc.). He is also the cybercrime/privacy expert for a local Washington, D.C. TV News station, providing insights and guidance on breaking stories relating to privacy and cybercrime. Joel has a forthcoming book focused on educating mid and senior-level executives, as well as the C-Suite and Board, on the technical, practical and legal aspects of cybersecurity, privacy and incident response, tentatively titled, “From Main Street to C-Suite: Cybersecurity, Privacy and Working with Law Enforcement.” Earlier in his career, Joel served as Special Counsel for Internet Matters for the Securities Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office and as Assistant Attorney General for the Internet Bureau.  He was also E-commerce and Privacy Counsel for MetLife.  Joel received his law degree from Albany Law School, cum laude, and his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton, cum laude. He subsequently completed a certification in Advanced Information Technologies from New York University.