Kat Siedlecki is being honored in Category 1: Building a Customer-Focused Culture for her visionary leadership and groundbreaking work in advancing human-centered design and customer experience across the federal government.

​

For over 15 years, Kat Siedlecki has been a trailblazer in advancing Customer Experience (CX) across the U.S. government. As a leader at Booz Allen Hamilton, she was one of the earliest advocates for human-centered design in federal service delivery, long before it became a government priority. She helped launch Booz Allen’s first design thinking lab, where she led transformative projects and built a CX capability that now trains consultants across the firm.

​

Kat’s influence spans critical agencies and programs, including the Department of Defense (DoD), the Defense Health Agency, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At VA’s Veterans Experience Office, she led over 60 research and design projects that directly improved services for Veterans, caregivers, and families. Her work resulted in a 19% increase in enterprise trust and a 5% boost in trust for outpatient services. One major initiative, the Military-to-Civilian Transition Project, was featured in the President’s Management Agenda and has shaped services for over 200,000 transitioning military members annually.

​

Kat’s efforts also led to the creation of the VA’s first Office of Employee Experience, benefiting approximately 60,000 employees each year. Beyond her direct project work, she has trained over 40 Booz Allen cohorts in CX, spreading human-centered design throughout federal agencies. Her outreach includes organizing events through groups like Design Thinking:DC and mentoring professionals across the DC region.

​

Through a combination of visionary leadership, hands-on impact, and tireless advocacy, Kat Siedlecki has fundamentally reshaped how government understands, designs, and delivers services - with lasting benefits for millions of citizens.