Writer. Engineer. Advocate.
Erin Relford is an accomplished engineer, creative writer, and content producer with a remarkable 22-year career showcasing deep domain expertise across geotechnical, oil and gas, waste management, media and entertainment, healthcare, robotics, and professional services.
Her expertise as a governance, risk, and compliance professional in Cybersecurity and IT audit has been instrumental in shaping successful programs for renowned organizations such as The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox, and Mattel, Inc.
Currently, a Privacy Engineer at Google, Erin’s portfolio spans across speculative markets and emerging products in Robotics, Health, and AI. Notable accomplishments include advising on technical privacy reviews for groundbreaking products, such as PaLM SayCan, PaLM Developer API with MakerSuite, and DermAssist.
A distinguished speaker and thought leader in Robotics Privacy, Erin served as lead for major projects at Deepmind, Waymo, X, Intrinsic, Mineral, and Everyday Robots. Her diverse endeavors at Google encompass AI principles red teaming, data observability and ethics, CSAM trust and safety, and DMA compliance.
Beyond her technical role, Erin is a dedicated contributor to the tech community, serving as an on-air talent for Women Techmakers, Google, and AnitaB.org. As an advocate for women in STEM, she holds roles as a Black@Core Inclusion Leader, Google Champion, and Intern Mentor, leading diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Erin developed The Only Girl in the Room, a STEM engagement YouTube series for women looking for a career in tech. She also served as Co-President of Sister Circle Media, a non-profit organization working to increase women of color representation in the Entertainment and Media industry, and Emerging Technology Committee Chair for WiTH’s Knowledge Circles for Impact Mentorship Program.
As a writer, Erin is an author, essayist, and screenwriter exploring narratives in women’s empowerment. Her 2017 book, Panties in a Bunch, measured the experiences of women in tech working in entertainment, probing the intersectionality of race, gender, and STEM in male-dominated industries.
Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Erin holds a bachelor's degree in information systems from the University of Houston. A proud member of ISACA and IAPP with several certifications, Erin’s commitment to the industry is building excellence in user trust. In her spare time, Erin enjoys baseball and participating in networking circles supportive of women.