Kathryn Schmitt
Burke,VA
Summary
Award-winning Project Manager and Strategic Communications Director with 15+ years of experience leading enterprise-level communications initiatives for federal agencies, including DHS (CBP), and VA. Specialized in communications planning, stakeholder engagement, and modern communications strategies. Leads multi-disciplinary teams through high-visibility government programs—driving innovation, delivering measurable outcomes, and aligning complex strategic goals with national priorities. Extensive experience in stakeholder analysis and the design of integrated messaging for diverse audiences. Adept at managing mission-critical communications in classified and highly regulated environments.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Project Manager
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Washington, D.C.
10.2024 - Current
- Company Overview: (Contractor, D&G Solutions)
- Direct CBP/OFO’s Strategic Advisory Services contract in support of the FY 2025–2030 Strategy, leading a 17-person contract team to align OFO’s global modernization goals with actionable strategic communications and integrated stakeholder engagement.
- Oversee cross-functional strategy, design, and communication teams delivering key initiatives such as Global Entry, Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII), and global messaging modernization for international travelers and trade partners.
- Developed the OFO Communications Strategy, journey maps, vision statements, and multi-format communication deliverables for internal and external stakeholders.
- Lead process and journey mapping workshops across operating environments, ensuring stakeholder perspectives are incorporated into end-to-end transformation plans.
- Serve as primary liaison with CBP/OFO leadership, responsible for reporting, staffing management, QA, and strategic alignment of contract deliverables.
- Develop multilingual and cross-platform communication materials, including executive briefings, strategic reports, videos, digital content, and infographics.
- Facilitate stakeholder analysis to inform tactical communications and support OFO's integrated, global messaging strategy.
- (Contractor, D&G Solutions)
- Delivered CBP/OFO’s FY 2025-2030 strategy-aligned communications framework with targeted messaging for international trade and travel demographics.
- Designed a performance-driven QA and reporting structure for CBP leadership visibility into communications effectiveness, risks, and mitigation strategies.
Project Manager
Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information and Technology
10.2017 - 10.2024
- Company Overview: (Contractor, LTS Inc.)
- Led a 20-person award-winning contract team delivering high-impact communication strategies for 400,000+ VA staff, including messaging for internal IT modernization and external stakeholder outreach.
- Designed intake and tracking systems to streamline project management and workflow, enabling agile delivery of mission-critical campaigns.
- Developed and reported on Quarterly Progress Reports and Annual Communication Outcome Reports analyzing campaign impact, reach, and effectiveness.
- Produced all executive-level speechwriting, messaging, and thought leadership materials for the VA CIO and Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology.
- Led creation of 508-compliant digital products, dashboards, videos, and interactive infographics supporting VA's IT strategic goals.
- (Contractor, LTS Inc.)
- Raised internal satisfaction with corporate communication from 41% to 88%.
- Oversaw VA’s most-viewed event with 25,000+ live stream viewers and 43,000+ web hits.
Internal Communications Coordinator
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Colorado Springs, CO
01.2015 - 05.2017
- Company Overview: The provider of technology solutions to optimize traditional information technology while helping to build secure, cloud-enabled, mobile-ready tools. Offers servers, storage, networking, converged systems, software and services.
- Designed and executed internal global communications plans to support IT product rollouts and business transformation efforts.
- Supported the Global Communications Management team by aligning internal messaging with strategic objectives and key performance indicators.
- The provider of technology solutions to optimize traditional information technology while helping to build secure, cloud-enabled, mobile-ready tools. Offers servers, storage, networking, converged systems, software and services.
Research Manager
Grubb & Ellis Company
Washington, D.C.
01.1996 - 01.2002
- Managed research and marketing support for commercial real estate sales professionals.
- Designed quarterly market reports and presentations used to secure multimillion-dollar commercial real estate deals.
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) - History and German Literature
Mount Holyoke College
Skills
- Microsoft Office
- SharePoint
- Jira
- Section 508 & Accessibility Tools
Certification
- Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI
- PROSCI Change Management Certification
- DHS & CBP Security Training and Clearance, Active
Awards
- 2024 Gold AVA Digital Award
- 2023 PR World Alliance Award – “Work for Us” Campaign
- 2023 Viddy Platinum Award – Long Form Video
- 2023 MarCom Gold Award – Film Production
- 2021 PR Daily Award – Strategic Communication Team of the Year
- CBP Program Excellence Recognition (2025) – OFO Strategic Communication
Languages
German
Full Professional
Timeline
Project Manager
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
10.2024 - Current
Project Manager
Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information and Technology
10.2017 - 10.2024
Internal Communications Coordinator
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
01.2015 - 05.2017
Research Manager
Grubb & Ellis Company
01.1996 - 01.2002
Bachelor of Arts (BA) - History and German Literature
Mount Holyoke College
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