At the Federal News Network’s DoD Modernization Exchange 2025, I had the opportunity to reflect on one of the most challenging and rewarding chapters of my career—standing up the Pentagon’s first-ever Customer Experience Office from the ground up.

When then-DoD CIO John Sherman asked me to lead this brand-new effort, there was no playbook. His guidance? “We don’t yet know, but we’ll figure it out as we go.” Nearly 18 months later, that vision has evolved into an office driving real, enterprisewide impact across one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world.

What if the most powerful capability in government wasn’t a new technology or a budget increase—but real-time, actionable feedback loops?

That was the core energy at this year’s #MedalliaExperience conference in Las Vegas. Together with some of the most forward-thinking leaders in public service, we explored how feedback loops—powered by AI and grounded in human insight—can be a force multiplier for mission outcomes.

Our session focused on how customer experience (CX) is more than a metric—it’s a strategic leverfor government transformation. From the battlefield to benefits processing, from active duty to veteran support, the stakes are high—and the opportunity for impact is even higher.

This weekend, my team was in charge of facilitating an offsite for the organization. Part of the day involved escorting our executive team from their shuttle to the conference room.

The team was busy prepping the meeting, so I decided to take on the task of escorting them from security.

While I was standing by the flagpole, the security guard approached me with a curious look. “Are you the EA for the team?” he asked.