Cynthia DeCoster is being honored in Category 3: Using Innovation, Data, and Breaking Down Organizational Barriers for transforming internal service delivery at the IRS and advancing collaboration across the federal government. Through her leadership, Cynthia deployed the ServiceNow platform to connect previously siloed HR, IT, facilities, and security functions, replacing fragmented manual processes with integrated, adaptable workflows that strengthen government operations.

 

Cynthia led enterprise solutions for employee offboarding, relocation, telework eligibility, and Reduction-in-Force processes. During a period of significant workforce change, she delivered an enterprise offboarding solution in just six weeks, supporting 13,000 employee departures, while her relocation solution has processed more than 3,500 requests. She also brought together nearly 20 agencies and industry partners to develop an automated RIF workflow, producing a working prototype in four weeks and a minimum viable product within eight weeks.

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Her impact extends beyond the IRS. Through the OPM Community of Practice, Cynthia helped grow a collaborative network of more than 20 federal agencies and advanced efforts to embed the federal Human Capital Information Model into commercial technology, improving interoperability and consistency across government. By breaking down organizational and technological barriers, Cynthia has reduced manual work, improved continuity and efficiency, and helped agencies maximize taxpayer-funded technology investments. Her ability to unite stakeholders around shared solutions demonstrates how cross-government collaboration can strengthen both the federal workforce and the public services it supports.