At the intersection of technology, ethics, and human dignity, Nuala O’Connor is a pioneering leader who has shaped the landscape of digital rights and responsible innovation across the public and private sectors. O’Connor’s career embodies a consistent vision: that technology can be a force for good.
As the first Chief Privacy Officer of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), she established foundational frameworks for protecting individual privacy in an era of unprecedented national security challenges. Her leadership as CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology transformed public discourse around digital civil liberties, while her roles at Walmart, Amazon, GE, and DoubleClick demonstrated how corporate innovation can align with and be strengthened by ethical technology practices.
At Walmart, Nuala built and led the company’s Digital Citizenship organization, guiding one of the world’s largest companies through the complexities of AI, biometrics, cybersecurity, data privacy and data governance, and digital transformation. Through the design and implementation of corporate programs on digital identity, ethical use of emerging technologies, and data and information management, she orchestrated a global strategy that accelerated innovation while honoring corporate values and human dignity. She was described by senior leadership as the “conscience of the company” on technology implementation.
Before joining Walmart, Nuala served as President and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an advocacy organization and think tank engaged in digital civil liberties and rights. In the public sector, in addition to her service at DHS, she served as Deputy Director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning and as Chief Counsel for Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In the private sector, Nuala served in a variety of leadership and legal counsel roles at Amazon, GE, and DoubleClick. Nuala’s early professional career also includes experience in the private practice of law, magazine publishing, higher education administration, and business management. Nuala has spoken at countless industry conferences, been interviewed in national press outlets and on national and international television. She has testified on multiple occasions in front of the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. Nuala has served on several public commissions and numerous nonprofit boards, and is currently on the advisory board of Kekst CNC, an international strategy and communications advisory firm, and is a senior advisor to the policy organization EqualAI. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Nuala, who is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, holds a B.A. from Princeton University, an M.Ed. from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Nuala lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband Peter Bass, three kids, three stepkids, and three dogs – a Bernese Mountain Dog, Chauncey; a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Trudy; and her beloved early-morning running partner, a chocolate Labrador Retriever rescue named Orla.