Reflections from the first DoD Customer Experience Officer
BLUF: Adios, DoD
My time at the Department of Defense has come to an end,
and my heart feels the weight of its departure.
It was more than a job—it was a calling,
a dream woven into reality,
shared with an extraordinary team,
guided by leaders whose wisdom and support
I could never repay, not in a million years.
Gratitude spills from me like an unending tide,
yet no words seem vast enough
to capture what this journey has meant.
Building a Customer Experience Office from the Ground Up
When I first started in my role, the Customer Experience Office (CXO) did not exist. We built it from nothing—growing it from the seeds of an idea into a fully realized entity that drove wide-scale, enterprise-level change. Doing that within a bureaucratic machine like the Department of Defense is a herculean effort, but we made it happen.
As the Customer Experience Officer (CXO) for the past year and a half, I took immense pride in leading this transformation. My mission was clear: to drive user-centered IT initiatives, enhance strategic planning, and ensure that government technology served those who relied on it. Leading the CXO Portfolio Management Office, I worked to ensure IT capabilities were not just scalable, sustainable, secure, but - fundamentally - functional.
In a bureaucracy as vast as the DoD, it is easy for technology to become process-driven rather than people-driven. My responsibility was to shift that paradigm.
From supporting DoD CIO’s strategic planning to conducting detailed performance analyses, my goal was to foster a culture that prioritized the needs of servicemembers, civilians, and mission partners who rely on DoD IT every day. This meant streamlining governance processes, improving transparency, and ensuring that IT solutions met real operational needs.
Leading Public, Industry, and Government Engagement
Another critical aspect of my role was engaging with external stakeholders to bridge the gap between government, industry, and the public. My team played a pivotal role in preparing DoD CIO leadership for high-stakes engagements—whether with Congress, the Government Accountability Office, or at industry forums like AFCEA TechNet Cyber.
One of the biggest achievements spearheaded by the team was the rollout of Fulcrum, the DoD’s IT advancement strategy. Fulcrum, unveiled at AFCEA TechNet Cyber in 2024, prioritizes user experience and investment in infrastructure that is both agile and scalable to meet the dynamic requirements of operations and opportunities offered by the most modern technologies. This effort aligned DoD-wide IT initiatives with mission-driven outcomes, reinforcing the importance of a strategic and accountable approach to technology deployment.
Strategic Planning and Execution
Leading the DoD CIO’s strategic planning efforts was a rewarding challenge—one that required aligning an array of initiatives with broader national defense objectives. I helped guide a structured framework for identifying, developing, and executing strategic IT goals. These included:
Developing and implementing the DoD CIO’s OKR SMART SOP, ensuring clear, measurable objectives for IT transformation.
Leading the bi-annual National Defense Strategy Implementation Report submissions to ensure strategic alignment.
Contributing to the authorship of the DoD CIO Annual IT Strategic Review SOP, a comprehensive guideline for continuous evaluation and course correction of IT initiatives.
Building Trust and Community
One of my most significant and impactful achievements during my tenure as CXO was the establishment of the Department of Defense’s first-ever UX Consortium. This initiative was designed to identify and unite key stakeholders, subject matter experts, and UX leaders from across the Military Departments, Combatant Commands, Defense Agencies, and DoD Field Activities. The primary objective was to conduct an in-depth analysis of customer experience challenges, opportunities, and best practices across the Department.
Through this consortium, participants shared insights, highlighted innovative UX initiatives, gathered and assessed department-wide performance metrics, and facilitated discussions on the development of new UX evaluation criteria to enhance accountability and measurement. The governance structure was anchored in leadership councils, ensuring strategic oversight and alignment with organizational priorities.
The consortium’s ultimate goal was not merely to foster discussion but to effectively communicate the value of UX investments at all levels of leadership. The initiative led to the development of clear, actionable recommendations that drove measurable and scalable improvements in UX across the department.
Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead
Reflecting on my time in the DoD, I am most proud of the strides we made in shifting the conversation from compliance-driven IT to user-centric IT. Technology is only as effective as its ability to serve its users, and I believe our work has laid the foundation for a more responsive, agile, and effective DoD IT ecosystem.
As I move forward in my career, I carry with me a deep appreciation for the power of strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and—above all—human-centered design in government technology.
I’m excited to see my colleagues pick up the baton and keep pushing forward, always keeping the Warfighter first. No matter the changes happening in our government, the mission goes on.
Am I frustrated and heartbroken over how everything played out? Absolutely. But even with all of that, I wouldn’t trade my time as the first DoD CXO for anything. It was an incredible journey, and I’m beyond grateful for the experience.
