Ken Vander Wal Retiring; Jeremy Huval Named as New Chief Compliance Officer

FRISCO, TX, January 27, 2020 – HITRUST, a leading data protection standards development and certification organization, announced today that Jeremy Huval was promoted to Chief Compliance Officer, effective January 15, 2020. Huval served as Vice President of Compliance and Internal Audit for HITRUST since 2019 and will succeed Ken Vander Wal, who retired on January 1, 2020, after a successful ten-year career with the Company.

The promotion of Huval to the CCO role was a logical choice following the successful implementation of an enhanced quality monitoring and reporting initiative and successful launch of the Certified HITRUST Quality Professional (CHQP) course in 2019 that he and Vander Wal developed.

“It has been a privilege to work with a man of Ken’s intellect and insight in pursuit of the highest quality standards for organizations achieving the HITRUST CSF® Certification,” said Jeremy Huval. “Ken’s tremendous leadership advanced a comprehensive approach to reporting and assessing information risk, and compliance is more than just a framework, but a complete program tailored to an organization’s ecosystem. He leaves a strong legacy that I intend to build upon with continued innovation and a commitment to excellence for HITRUST.”

In September 2019, Vander Wal was voted by the Board to Chair the newly formed Quality Assurance Subcommittee, which provides additional governance and oversight of the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program. Vander Wal served as HITRUST’s Chief Compliance Officer since 2009. Under his leadership, the HITRUST CSF became recognized as an industry standard for the protection of healthcare data—the equivalent of the “Good Housekeeping Seal” of approval.

Vander Wal’s notable accomplishments include establishment of a formal review and approval process for creating authorized third-party assessors; enhancements to the HITRUST CSF Assurance program to ensure consistency, quality, and rely-ability™; collaboration with the AICPA to have the CSF framework recognized as acceptable criteria for SOC 2® + HITRUST CSF reports; and the launch of an interactive and highly successful customer hotline for users to anonymously report issues, concerns and suggestions to the CSF.

“My time at HITRUST has been an incredible journey, and I am humbled to know that my work has contributed to HITRUST’s mission of improving global security standards,” explained Vander Wal. “This is the perfect time to transition to the next generation knowing that the best is yet to come under Jeremy’s capable leadership. I look forward to continuing my involvement with HITRUST as Chair of the Board Quality Assurance Subcommittee and supporting the governance and oversight for our Assurance Program.”

“On behalf of HITRUST and the Board, I would like to express my appreciation to Ken for his invaluable leadership, drive, and focus, ensuring the integrity of our Assurance Program over the past ten years,” said Daniel Nutkis, CEO and Chairman of the Board. “Under Ken’s leadership, HITRUST has helped thousands of businesses transform their security protocols and processes while strengthening the Company’s standing as a global leader in a dynamic industry. Our company and leadership team has never been stronger, and we look forward to a seamless transition.”

Nutkis continued, “I am pleased to promote Jeremy to this new role and am confident that Jeremy’s keen understanding and knowledge of our business and commitment to delivering on the unique approach of the HITRUST Assurance Program will greatly contribute to the Company’s next level of success.”

Before his promotion, Huval served as the Vice President of Compliance and Internal Audit for HITRUST. His responsibilities included overseeing the integrity of the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program and leading an internal consulting and assurance function aimed at improving internal operations and controls within the organization. Huval has been an integral part of several initiatives since joining HITRUST that include automation of all reports issued and quality-check routines in Q&A processes; and implementation of new internal metrics to continuously monitor the quality and effectiveness of the CSF Assurance Program.

To learn more about the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program visit: https://hitrustalliance.net/csf-assurance/

To learn more about the Certified HITRUST Quality Professional (CHQP) Course visit: https://hitrustalliance.net/hitrust-academy/certified-hitrust-quality-professional-chqp-course/