Westat’s Data Governance in Practice

Westat’s reputation for delivering consistently reliable, high-quality data is grounded in our approach to strong data governance. Our data governance policy embeds key principles and ethics for data handling throughout the data life cycle, and our Data Governance Committee ensures practitioner-informed standards, offers ongoing training, and provides company-wide oversight.

From project design to delivery, our comprehensive governance framework is the foundation for how our data are responsibly collected, processed, analyzed, and shared. The framework integrates best practices in privacy, security, and responsible stewardship. For clients, this means the information we provide is researched following industry ethics guidelines, of high caliber, compliant with evolving rules and regulations, and trustworthy.

Our approach to data governance begins with assigning roles and responsibilities to our project staff and carefully reviewing data governance policy requirements. In accordance with our data governance framework and aligning with the Data Management Association, roles may include that the data owner defines strategic use and access for a dataset; the data steward manages day‑to‑day data quality, compliance, and operationalization; and the data custodian maintains the technical environment, security, and data sharing.

A thoughtful, adaptable framework helps ensure data governance is effective and intentional, which is why we regularly fine-tune our oversight mechanisms to intercept potential incidents and compliance violations. These embedded guardrails result in responsible innovation without sacrificing sustainability or scalability.

Westat’s data governance policy also highlights the importance of data privacy and confidentiality protections. These safeguards are an essential feature of Westat’s commitment to reducing disclosure risk while retaining data integrity.

To maintain clarity on standards and policies, all Westat employees must have a shared understanding. In our Westat-wide training, staff learn a common vocabulary so that all elements of the framework are clearly understood. Staff members are also continually updated on any changing standards, emerging technologies, and new regulatory requirements.

“Because we know how to infuse strong data governance across a wide variety of environments for different needs, we can focus on providing expert response and support to any request our clients have,” says Katie Rolnick, MPH, Vice President for Public Health. “The innovative operational processes we embed in our framework allow us to translate policies into consistent practice.”

“Westat has been managing data and delivering quality data products for decades,” says Tom Krenzke, MS, Vice President for Statistics and Data Science, and co-chair of the Data Governance Committee. “We work to centralize and standardize the best data management tools and methods within Westat, while complying with laws and regulations. We treat data as important assets, which have high value due to practicing good data governance principles that are a fundamental part of our culture. These elements of data governance are why clients put their trust in our work, why this translates to the public’s confidence in our clients’ informed decisions, and ultimately, why our research produces objective, evidence-based findings.”

Multipart Series

This article is the second in a multipart series on governance at Westat, featuring insights from members of Westat’s Data Governance Committee, exploring how data governance works, and discussing how the organization approaches AI governance in a continually evolving technology landscape.

• Dynamic Guardrails for a Data-Driven World: Inside Westat’s Governance Frameworks—Westat