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A Letter From the Chair

Shannon, a white woman with golden brown hair, wears a white blouse and navy blazer.
Shannon Ralich

Ask someone in privacy or data security what they do, and the honest answer is: What don’t we do?

Privacy. AI governance. Breach response. Vendor contracts. Customer contracts. Data usage and risk classification. The product launch details that land in your inbox with a short launch window. The urgent call on a Friday before a holiday weekend. And then building the processes that make all of it work over time, even as the laws keep moving and the analysis gets more detailed. Privacy and data security never sleeps.

That is an amazing range of skills to have, and one worth being proud of. What makes it even better is knowing there is a whole community of people who get it. That is why I am writing.

As we kick off a new bar year, we are opening member sign-ups for our newly organized committees. We have consolidated several committees into fewer, larger groups so more members can work together, share ideas, and build stronger connections across the Section. We have also added two topic-specific committees, AI and Cybersecurity & Data Security, for members who want to dig further into areas shaping our practice.

Here is the range of what our committees work on. We encourage you to join at least one:

  • Legislative & Regulatory follows North Carolina and federal legislation, regulations, enforcement activity and policy developments across privacy, cybersecurity, AI and information governance. The committee also coordinates the Section’s comments on proposed rules, subject to NCBA approval.
  • CLE selects topics for the Section’s annual CLE, identifies and coordinates speakers, and helps plan and deliver a program that is timely, practical and valuable to our members.
  • Thought Leadership is for members who enjoy writing, interviewing, being on camera or turning a complicated development into an actionable checklist, infographic or other resource. The committee runs the fireside chats, webinars, publications, short-form videos, blog posts and member resources.
  • Community & Membership is for connectors who enjoy building community, social engagement and giving back. The committee leads member recruitment and onboarding, mentorship, social events, YLD engagement and pro bono work.
  • AI is a deep dive committee focused on generative AI, machine learning, algorithmic decision-making, automated systems, AI governance, contracting, IP issues and enterprise risk. This committee will partner with Thought Leadership and Community & Membership to develop programming and resources for Section members.
  • Cybersecurity & Data Security is a deep dive committee focused on cybersecurity threats, incident response, information security governance, data breach preparedness, vendor security diligence, technical standards and related regulatory developments. This committee will partner with Thought Leadership and Community & Membership to develop programming and resources for Section members.

To join a committee, select the committee(s) on this page and submit. Interested in helping lead one? We currently have three open co-chair positions:

  • Legislative & Regulatory, joining Neil Riemann
  • Thought Leadership, joining Tandy Mathis
  • Community & Membership, joining Molly Martinson

Most committees will meet for about 30 minutes each month and provide a short update through a simple monthly tracker. That will help the Section see what each committee is working on, share ideas across groups and identify opportunities to collaborate. This is your Section, and it is better with you in it.

I’m looking forward to a great year!

Shannon Ralich serves as the 2026-2027 chair of the NCBA Privacy & Data Security Section.

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