Hayley Stanard is being honored in Category 1: Building a Customer Focused Culture for transforming the U.S. Coast Guard's approach to service delivery by embedding human-centered design and a customer-first mindset throughout the organization. As the Experience Design and Integration (XDI) Lead, she has championed a "Total Experience" strategy that ensures Coast Guard personnel have intuitive, efficient, and mission-ready tools, recognizing that improving the employee experience directly enhances service to the public.

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Through her leadership of the FD28 Digital Seabag initiative, Hayley worked closely with frontline users to understand their needs, redesign workflows, and create secure mobile access to essential tools, systems, and communications. She also united operational, technical, and leadership teams to drive successful adoption while educating the broader workforce on the value of customer experience. By making human-centered design a core part of modernization efforts, she has helped shift the Coast Guard toward a more collaborative and user-focused culture.

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The impact of Hayley's leadership has been significant. Coast Guard members now spend less time navigating outdated processes and more time focused on mission-critical operations, including search and rescue, maritime safety, and national security. Improved access to real-time information has strengthened coordination, increased operational readiness, and enhanced workforce satisfaction. By empowering those who serve, Hayley has helped the Coast Guard deliver faster, more reliable, and more effective service to the American public.