Katy Ruckle was appointed as Washington state's Chief Privacy Officer in 2020. Since then, Katy has published Washington's foundational privacy principles and launched statewide training on privacy and data protection for public employees. In 2023, Katy received the Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award for her privacy leadership in the state. Currently, Katy serves as co-chair to the State’s AI Community of Practice and recently published guidance for public procurement of automated decision systems. In previous roles, Katy created and directed the privacy program at the state's largest social service agency -- overseeing public records, records management, legal discovery, and HIPAA compliance. Before that she served as the agency’s Contracts Counsel, advising on complex contract and procurement issues regarding health care and technology.

Katy is a licensed attorney and was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2005. She also holds certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in US privacy law (CIPP/US) and privacy program management (CIPM) and is recognized as a Fellow of Information Privacy from the IAPP. She presently serves as an officer on the board of the Washington Government Lawyers Bar Association and volunteers as a mediator at the Pierce County Center for Dialog and Resolution. She has worked for Washington state since 2006.