NAVAIR held a Privacy Act (PA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Conference at Patuxent River, Maryland in August. NAVAIR Privacy Act Administrator Steve Gellerson kicked off the meeting with opening remarks on the importance of Privacy within the NAVAIR community and the protecting of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Miriam Brown-Lam, head of the Department of the Navy PA⁄FOIA Policy Branch, was the guest speaker. Brown-Lam has been the head of the PA⁄FOIA programs for many years and has extensive experience in developing and writing policy and procedures as well as program implementation. She has been in the forefront of changes in both the PA and FOIA programs. Brown-Lam provides training in the statutory programs to many Federal employees throughout the government.
The conference had over 70 participants from multiple NAVAIR sites who attended in person and via video teleconference. Participants were able to ask questions and address concerns.
Some key elements from the conference:
PA of 1974 provides the framework for the life-cycle of privacy information;
All Federally employed employees and their support employees are required to take PII training and adhere to the guidance and restrictions in the PA;
PA⁄PII information must be safeguarded;
PA information should be protected at all times;
Government privacy policy applies to (1) paper records, (2) databases, (3) intra- and inter-agency data sharing, (4) agency records in any format, (5) data warehouses, (6) websites and portals, and (7) new technology.
Agencies are required to report any electronic system that meets the obligations associated with protecting PII.
The NAVAIR points of contact for Privacy are: Steve Gellerson, privacy act administrator; Mary Ellen Evans, privacy act coordinator for NAVAIR headquarters and NAWCAD; Mark Meyers, privacy act coordinator for NAWCWD; and John Grau, privacy act coordinator for the Fleet Readiness Centers.
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