B.A., Patrick Henry College; J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
Adam Smith is an advisor with more than a decade of public and private sector experience managing legal, financial, and reputational cybersecurity risks. He believes that the best cybersecurity counsel incorporates business goals, culture, and practices. Professor Smith’s advising is informed by hundreds of incident response efforts involving personal data, intellectual property, payment card information, export controlled technical data, and other regulated information.
Currently, Professor Smith leads the privacy incident preparedness and response team at Southwest Airlines and advises on compliance with evolving cyber and data protection requirements. In that role, he participates in the Airlines for America Cybersecurity Counsel (A4A Cyber Counsel) and the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center (A-ISAC).
Previously, Professor Smith developed cybersecurity plans and data privacy compliance processes as outside counsel for Fortune 500 clients. He provided cybersecurity transactional guidance, served on a global cyber response firm’s compliance committee, prepared cyber disclosures for public company filings, and advised a state supreme court on the resolution of a red team issue. Before his time in private practice, Professor Smith led operational planning for the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (now part of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), the largest cyber operations center in the civilian government.
Professor Smith regularly speaks at legal, cybersecurity, and privacy forums. He has written articles addressing issues related to evolving data protection requirements, cyber threats, attorney client privilege, and organizational structures. He also applies his practical expertise as a board member with non-profit organizations. Professor Smith received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Patrick Henry College. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Certified Information Privacy Professional for both the United States and Europe.