Alex
Alex Alben is a law professor, technology executive and privacy expert, who served as Washington State’s first Chief Privacy Officer from 2015 to 2019. In that capacity, he worked on consumer privacy legislation and coordinated privacy and data policy for state and local government. As one of only five Chief Privacy Officers in the country, Alex initiated statewide programs for enhanced privacy training, consumer education and legal compliance.
As a technology executive for over 20 years in the Seattle area, Alex worked for start-ups founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates. At Starwave Corp., he helped launch ESPN.com and ABCNews.com, and served for six years in senior management at RealNetworks, where he supervised the award-winning “RealJukebox” music management software product. In this role, he testified frequently before Congress and the Copyright Office on digital rights and the distribution of music and video over the Internet.
For the past 25 years, Alex has worked for Arts Organizations and charities involved in promoting education, the fine arts and digital governance. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Cornish College of the Arts, ACT Theatre and the Youth Theatre Northwest.
A graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School, Alex writes frequently about the intersection of media, technology and politics. He is the author of Analog Days—How Technology Rewrote Our Future. He taught the Privacy Law section of the Tech Policy Law Clinic at the University of Washington School from 2015-19 and currently serves as part-time faculty at the UCLA School of Law, teaching “Privacy, Data and Technology.”
Susan
Susan Alben is Sr. Director of Customer Strategy and Value for Vista Partners, where she has developed the firm's customer communications experience platform. Prior to her job at Vista, Susan worked for Microsoft Corporation, where she was responsible for advising Microsoft clients for Dynamics 365 business solutions relating to business transformation initiatives.
For over twenty years, she worked in the telecommunications and software industries, for leading companies such as SAP, AT&T and Bell, where she helped implement early web technologies and pioneering Internet networks, such as Excite@Home.
As a professional triathlete for a decade, Susan was ranked in the top ten in the World and won events across the United States and Asia.
Susan has actively promoted women and engaged in mentorship programs and opportunities for vulnerable youth and for young women who seek careers in STEM fields.
She attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she studied computer science, and graduated from Creighton University with a degree in Economics and Finance. Susan has an MBA in International Economics from the University of Washington.