The Upcoming South Sound Technology Conference 2009

If you haven't done so yet, save the date of November 20 for an all day event covering companies and technology in the South Sound. As the program builds out with final details, I will post them here and they will be available on the website for the event at www.sstconference.org.

We have one keynoter set and I have previously discussed the panel and discussion that will be occurring in regards to identifying a promotable cluster of companies in the South Puget Sound based on some commonalities.

First off, if you are unaware, the annual South Sound Technology Conference is the technology showcase for Tacoma and the South Puget Sound region. For years it has brought together leaders from industry, education, and government, both locally and from around the state, to discuss and demonstrate innovations and ongoing applications which utilize technology. Panel and keynote presentations, including networking opportunities, provide a venue to discuss, explore, understand and deploy technology as a solution, an opportunity and an advantage. SST is perhaps this region's best annual event to learn how technology is transforming our business and community life.

Keynoting at the event will be Richard Purcell, CEO of the Corporate Privacy Group. Here is some bio information taken from their site.

Richard Purcell ranks among the original Chief Privacy Officers in the United States. He created the position at Microsoft in the late ‘90’s, becoming a leading voice in addressing consumer privacy and data protection, domestically and internationally.

As Microsoft’s privacy officer, Mr. Purcell designed, developed, implemented and oversaw one of the world’s largest and most advanced privacy programs, spanning software development, web deployment, infrastructure management, workforce management, and consumer data handling practices. He developed and monitored a distributed team of privacy managers throughout the corporation and its global subsidiaries. Mr. Purcell was a leading advocate of the Platform for Privacy Preferences, or P3P, publicly committing Microsoft’s support in 2000 and working closely with the Internet Explorer development team on incorporating the specification into IE v6.

In 2003, Mr. Purcell left Microsoft to form Corporate Privacy Group, an independent privacy consulting firm focused on establishing sustainable, affordable privacy programs in corporations, agencies and institutions. Privacy Directions™, a training curriculum for corporations designed to institutionalize privacy awareness, practices, and compliance throughout their organizations is a notable early offering.


Mr. Purcell serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for TRUSTe, an independent trust authority for privacy on the Web. Mr. Purcell was appointed to the Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee in 2005. Mr. Purcell advises Fortune 100 corporations, leads privacy training seminars, and lectures extensively.


He is a former member of the Int'l Association of Privacy Professionals, or IAPP, and on their Advisory Board for Privacy Certification. Mr. Purcell is an IAPP-certified information privacy professional. He is a founding member of the Conference Board's Council of Chief Privacy Officers. He served on the Federal Trade Commission's Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security.

Here is a recent interview that he held with the folks at NYMITY.