Brian Hills, a 2L at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, has been named the winner of a 2021-22 IAPP Westin Scholar Award.
With the growing need for well-qualified privacy and data protection professionals, the annual Westin Scholar Awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. The Law School presented the inaugural award to Charles Westerhaus, ’22, last year.
Hills, who is also pursuing a graduate certificate in information privacy and law, will receive this year’s award in recognition of his achievements and potential in information privacy law.
“Brian is a 2L who has demonstrated excellence and great potential in information privacy law,” said Joseph A. Tomain, Lecturer in Law. “Having taught Brian in multiple Information Privacy Law courses, he is an excellent recipient of this prestigious award offered by the IAPP.”
Hills earned the Book Award in Information Privacy Law I and will be the president of the Law School’s Cybersecurity and Information Privacy Law Association in 2022-23.
“The industry of privacy is fast growing and constantly evolving. We created this award as a way to put the privacy profession at the forefront of students’ minds as they explore potential career opportunities,” said IAPP President and CEO J. Trevor Hughes. “Congratulations to Brian Hills. We look forward to seeing the good work you will bring to the field of privacy”.
As part of the award, Hills will receive $1,000, a two-year membership with the IAPP, three complimentary exams for IAPP certifications, unlimited access to online training for those exams, and a copy of Dr. Alan Westin’s Privacy and Freedom.
“I am grateful and honored to receive the 2021-2022 IAPP Westin Scholar Award from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law,” Hills said. “I’d like to thank the Maurer faculty who sparked my interest in information privacy law, particularly Professor Tomain. The Law School’s various course offerings and certificate programs in information privacy law, cybersecurity, and law and technology are excellent. Thanks to the Law School and the IAPP, I will have a strong foundation in this fascinating, evolving and rapidly growing legal field.”
Hill plans to obtain CIPP/US certification through the IAPP during his 3L year, and hopes to pursue a career in information privacy law after graduating in 2023.
“The Law School is honored to participated in the IAPP’s Westin Scholar Award program,” Tomain said. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the IAPP and helping students interested in information privacy law develop the necessary skills to help advance this rapidly developing area of law.”
About the Westin Scholar Award
The Westin Scholar Awards pay homage to the late Dr. Alan Westin, a foundational voice in the field of privacy and data protection. Throughout his life, Dr. Westin researched and wrote about privacy, data protection, digital identity and the future of how societies will deal with issues at the intersection of law and technology. He is the namesake for the IAPP Westin Research Center and Fellowship Program, which was founded in 2013 and serves as a pathway for future leaders in the community. Read more about the Westin Scholar Award and find participating schools and past winners.
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