Dr. Elizabeth Kolmstetter is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) first Chief People Officer. In her new role, Kolmstetter works closely with CISA leadership, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer and Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility to build the CISA Culture into everyday activities, lead the workforce strategy, and plays a critical role in ensuring an enduring “People First” culture.
Prior to CISA, Kolmstetter was the Director of Talent Strategy and Engagement at NASA. She was responsible for programs including employee engagement and culture, workforce strategy and planning, and people analytics. In 2021, she was named Deputy for Culture & Workforce Transformation to focus on NASA’s Future of Work, Digital Transformation, and Diversity & Inclusion imperatives. Her work directly contributed to NASA being named the Best Place to Work in Government (large agencies) for ten years in a row.
With 29 years of public service, she has pioneered innovative programs across agencies including NASA, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This includes standing up TSA in the aftermath of 9-11 and managing the hiring of over 55,000 new federal airport screeners in less than one year.
Kolmstetter received the 2022 Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, 2010 National Intelligence Superior Service Medal, 2020 NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and is a Fellow of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial and Organizational (IO) Psychology from Virginia Tech and her B.A. in Psychology and Computer Science from Hollins University. She and husband, Michael, are proud parents of twins, Miles and Nicole (23).