Mari Frank, Interviews Shirley Durham, Director of Programs, the Ponemon Institute

n February 2007, Shirley Durham was named Director of Programs and Special Projects for Ponemon Institute, LLC, a research "think tank" dedicated to advancing privacy and data protection practices, which is located in Traverse City, Michigan. Ms. Durham joined Ponemon Institute after retiring from Ford Motor Company (Ford) with more than 30 years of service, during which she held a variety of management positions, including Director of Ford's Corporate Privacy Office. As Director of Ford's Corporate Privacy Office, she was responsible for providing strategic direction globally for Ford and its family of brands, products and services on privacy initiatives and for overseeing the development of corporate privacy policy related to personal information. In this capacity, she provided assistance to operations to meet legal and corporate compliance requirements and deliver optimal business solutions. Ms. Durham coordinated the Corporate Privacy Steering Committee, which provided executive oversight on privacy matters. Ms. Durham provided subject matter expertise to internal and external groups regarding privacy/data protection policy, reviewed and addressed privacy/data protection legislation, identified risk areas, and proposed/developed recommended solutions, tools and controls, new policies/procedures/processes, and employee training and awareness programs. Most recently, Ms. Durham served as the Executive Director of Ford Motor Company Fund (Ford Fund), which is Ford's charitable giving arm and a separate legal entity. Ms. Durham managed all operational and administrative aspects of Ford Fund, including financial reporting and analysis, banking, compliance with legal and corporate requirements, payment processing, purchasing/vendor relations, and legal/legislative matters. In addition, Ms. Durham developed giving strategies, approved grants, developed community relationships, and represented the company externally. She has served on various not-for-profit and business advisory boards and committees. She is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP). www.ponemon.org