Category 1: Building a Customer-Focused Culture
DR. SYDNEY HEIMBROCK
Chief Industry Advisor for Public Sector
Qualtrics
Dr. Sydney Heimbrock is being honored in Category 1: Building a Customer Focused Culture for pioneering the customer experience movement across government and equipping public servants with the tools to design services around the people they serve. For more than three decades, she has championed human-centered design, helping agencies replace outdated, process-driven approaches with innovative, customer-focused solutions. Her leadership has fundamentally changed how governments engage with citizens, employees, and stakeholders both in the United States and around the world.
As the founder of the Office of Personnel Management's Innovation Lab, Dr. Heimbrock introduced human-centered design to the federal government, creating hands-on learning programs that empowered agencies to rethink service delivery through the lens of customer needs. The Innovation Lab supported transformative initiatives such as redesigning USAJOBS, mapping the first Veterans Experience journey, contributing to the U.S. Web Design Standards, and helping shape the President's Executive Order on Customer Experience. Since joining Qualtrics as Chief Industry Advisor for Public Sector, she has continued advancing customer-focused government by helping agencies integrate technology, customer feedback, and human-centered design into everyday operations while expanding these practices internationally.
The impact of Dr. Heimbrock's work has been far-reaching. Her leadership has influenced customer experience practices across every Cabinet agency, numerous state and local governments, and governments around the world. Her contributions helped improve critical public services, including redesigning the school lunch application process, saving taxpayers an estimated $600 million, while making government services easier to access and use. Through her vision, mentorship, and commitment to innovation, Dr. Heimbrock has built a lasting culture of customer-focused service that continues to improve the lives of millions of people and shape the future of public service.