ABOUT US
Our Story - The Authority on Privacy was formed when Paul and Laura met and realized that their combined education and experience would offer a unique opportunity for students desiring to obtain IAPP certification. While Laura brings the corporate perspective from managing a global privacy program for a large financial firm, Paul brings the legal expertise (JD), and the academic lens, as he is a key figure at the Kline Law School and leads Drexel’s Privacy Center.
Together, they bring broad experience to the classroom when teaching the exam prep courses, and can relate real life experience rather than just “theory”. Authority on Privacy is authorized by the IAPP to offer exam prep training and study groups to enable our clients to prepare for (and obtain) IAPP certification.
Our Trainers
Paul Flanagan, President
PEF27@Drexel.edu
IAPP-Certified Instructor
Paul Flanagan is an authority on compliance, and privacy who brings decades of experience working with some of the nation’s leading health care providers and higher education institutions.
Before joining the faculty, Professor Flanagan served as executive director of compliance and privacy services for the Drexel University Compliance and Privacy Office. There, he helped manage the University’s Compliance and Data Privacy and Security programs, providing compliance and privacy services to the Drexel College of Medicine and providing Drexel’s senior management with guidance to develop, implement and maintain procedures covering the privacy of students, faculty, professional staff and the security of institutional data.
Previously, he held compliance and privacy leadership posts at Abington Memorial Hospital, Hahnemann University Hospital and the University of Florida’s Shands Health System.
Paul has also served as vice president and chief compliance and privacy officer at Precyse Solutions in Wayne Pennsylvania and chief compliance and privacy officer at 21st Century Oncology in Orlando, Florida, one of the largest medical oncology practices in the United States. He has held compliance and privacy positions at other leading academic medical institutions across the country, including the University of Arizona and Stanford University.
Dual certified in both compliance and health care compliance, Professor Flanagan received his JD from Creighton University School of Law and his MS in Human Resources/Hospital Administration from Widener University.
Paul is a member of InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and the private sector that promotes public-private collaboration to safeguard businesses, academic institutions and government agencies.
Laura Rhubart, CIPP US/E, CIPM, FIP, PMP
IAPP-Certified Instructor
LRhubart@Comcast.net
Laura Rhubart manages privacy and data governance specific to the Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) at The Vanguard Group, one of the world’s largest financial firms, based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Vanguard’s CSOC is a centralized highly secure site responsible for monitoring, assessing, and safeguarding all Vanguard computing assets and critical data against threats that can negatively impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability. In this role Laura works on compliance strategies for data privacy/security laws as they relate to the data the CSOC collects and uses.
Prior to taking this role, Laura managed Vanguard’s Global Privacy Team for several years, leading a team of privacy professionals in advancing and executing Vanguard’s Privacy Program. Among other successes, this included implementation of controls such as Privacy by Design and legal requirements such as GDPR, to safeguard Vanguard’s client and crew data.
Laura has enjoyed an extensive career at Vanguard, working through several Divisions in client facing, people leadership and program management roles. Laura received the CIPP US and E, CIPM and FIP accreditation from the IAPP, holds a PMP accreditation from PMI and attained a Master of Legal Studies in Privacy ad Cybersecurity Law from Drexel University’s Kline School of Law.
While Laura is not keeping data safe, she enjoys training her chihuahua and playing with her grandkids.