Amanda Chavez is being honored in Category 1: Building a Customer Focused Culture for transforming how government agencies design, deliver, and improve services through human-centered design and experience management. Throughout her career, Amanda has helped agencies place citizen needs at the center of decision-making by building customer experience programs, modernizing digital services, and using data-driven insights to improve outcomes. Her leadership has fostered a culture where technology, innovation, and customer feedback work together to create more effective government services.

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Amanda has built and scaled customer experience capabilities across multiple organizations, embedding Human-Centered Design (HCD) into federal programs serving agencies such as the Departments of Labor, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Homeland Security. She developed innovative frameworks that integrate customer experience into modern IT delivery and led research to improve public-facing services, including healthcare enrollment, patient privacy, telehealth, and national security initiatives. Her work also advanced Experience Management platforms that help agencies better understand customer needs and continuously improve service delivery based on real-world data.

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The impact of Amanda's leadership has been significant across government. Her research for the Department of Defense's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office helped secure $18.3 million to strengthen prevention and survivor support programs, while her TSA active shooter simulation informed security improvements at 10 high-risk locations and influenced national transportation security policy. She also championed interoperable healthcare technology adopted by state Medicaid organizations to improve patient care. Through her commitment to customer-focused innovation, mentorship, and cross-sector collaboration, Amanda has helped build a stronger culture of service that benefits both the American public and the federal workforce.