Cynthia J. Cole (she/her) is currently Special Counsel at Baker Botts in Palo Alto, California and formerly CEO and General Counsel in public and private companies, particularly related to technology, corporate transactional and data privacy issues such as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She counsels clients on technology transactions and deals, big data, data privacy, data sharing and IP licensing, often creating bespoke agreements in novel technology fields. She has led the firm’s initiative in GDPR, CCPA and data protection counseling for US Companies. Cynthia is certified as an Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Cynthia was named a 2020 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for her outstanding community involvement and industry prowess as a sought after leader in data privacy. Previously, she was named a 2019 “California Trailblazer” for her work in building a transactional data privacy practice at Baker Botts. In 2018, she was honored as a “National Women in Law Honoree for Thought Leadership” by Corporate Counsel and in 2017, she was recognized as one of the Women Leaders in Tech Law by The Recorder. Cynthia teaches, speaks, and writes on an array of data privacy, policy trends, and innovative issues. She is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and currently serves on the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation Board of Directors as chair of the Governance Committee.