Airis McCottry Gill is being honored in Category 1: Building a Customer-Focused Culture for her pioneering leadership in advancing both customer and employee experience across government to create more responsive, human-centered services.

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Airis McCottry Gill has been a trailblazer in transforming how government serves both its employees and the public, long before “Customer Experience” (CX) and “Employee Experience” (EX) became federal priorities. With a visionary approach and a relentless commitment to improvement, Airis has consistently challenged the status quo to build more responsive, human-centered government services.

 

At the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service, she tackled workforce concerns around training by analyzing over 4,000 requests, optimizing a $750,000 budget, and increasing employee participation by 40%, leading to a 7% improvement in employee satisfaction scores.

 

During her tenure at the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Experience Office (VEO), Airis led internal operations that laid the foundation for a mature CX culture. She created the VA’s first Employee Journey Map, launched the ESignals listening channel, and introduced the agency’s first quarterly trust survey, resulting in a 5-point increase in employee trust and improved service delivery for Veterans nationwide.

 

In the private sector, Airis continues to elevate CX and EX through her leadership of ACT-IAC’s Workforce Optimization Working Group, bringing together 100+ professionals from 20+ agencies and 30+ companies to modernize public service. As a panelist and thought leader, she has shared her insights on over 10 major stages, emphasizing the importance of listening to both customers and employees as the foundation for successful service delivery.

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Airis’s work has influenced the way agencies across government approach service design, employee engagement, and data-driven improvement, making her a true champion of building a customer-focused culture in public service.