Kristen Lenhardt
Alexandria
Summary
Experienced with strategic planning, executive support, and operational management. Utilizes strong organizational skills to ensure efficiency and alignment with business objectives. Track record of fostering collaborative environments and achieving high-impact results.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief of Staff
Bureau of Land Management Headquarters
Washington D.C.
03.2025 - Current
- Support the Office of the Director and ensure strategic alignment between leadership and organizational priorities.
- Liaison to the Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
- Supervise Senior Advisors, Executive Assistants, and a Senior Litigation Specialist.
- Ensure bureau and departmental leadership remain informed of activities throughout the Department of the Interior.
- Respond to White House data calls.
- Provide oversight of BLM processes to move projects as expeditiously as possible.
- Conduct supervisory administrative functions, including performance evaluations, time sheets, and travel.
- Advise the BLM Director and Deputy Director regarding high-profile issues and projects.
- Serve as the BLM Director’s proxy when needed.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-0340-15 (Delegation of Authority, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Jeff Krauss, 202-208-5259, jkrauss@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Director, Office of Public Affairs
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Headquarters
Washington D.C.
08.2021 - Current
- In 2021, I pursued my career goal of becoming director of a public affairs program at a national level, as well as gaining experience with another federal agency. As a supervisor of 11 communications professionals, collaboration, coordination, delegation, humor, and respect were the keys to our success.
- As Public Affairs Director at the National Agricultural Statistics Service, I:
- Developed and implement communication policies, processes, and product standards.
- Conducted workforce planning exercises, including my 1–3-year, 3-5-year, and 5-7-year vision for the team.
- Helped process several contracts for communication services to the federal government.
- Managed budget for the Office of Public Affairs.
- Was the national partnership engagement coordinator for large-scale efforts such as the Census of Agriculture.
- Assisted with internal communications and messaging regarding leadership priorities.
- Served on the agency’s Strategic Planning Council and Business Council.
- Strategized how the agency can build relationships with American farmers and ranchers to carry out its mission more effectively considering public perception challenges.
- Supported the mission area and department-level communications staff with outreach and data calls.
- Oversaw customer service representatives who interact with the public daily.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-1035-15 (Permanent, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Kevin Barnes, (202) 720-4333, kevin.barnes@usda.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Deputy Assistant Director, Communications Directorate
Bureau of Land Management Headquarters
Washington D.C.
05.2024 - 01.2026
- Oversee the Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, and External Affairs Divisions within the Communications Directorate.
- Provide strategic guidance to each division to ensure the Communications Directorate meets the needs of the BLM mission in the most efficient and innovative way possible.
- Ensure employees have the guidance and resources needed to complete their work.
- Conduct supervisory administrative functions, including performance evaluations, time sheets, and travel.
- Advise senior leadership in both strategic and crisis communication scenarios.
- Assist the Press Secretary with media inquiry responses.
- Ensure projects are tracked across the functionalities of the directorate, including through Federal Register Notices, communication plans, press releases, and congressional notifications.
- Assist with managing the budget for the Communications Directorate.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-0340-15 (Permanent, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Jeff Krauss, 202-208-5259, jkrauss@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Deputy State Director, Office of Communications
Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office
Cheyenne, Wyoming
07.2014 - 08.2021
- Supervised a team of public affairs specialists.
- Served on the State Leadership Team.
- Determined public affairs, website, social media, videography and print workloads.
- Advised senior leadership in outreach efforts, both internal and external.
- Developed communication guidance and strategies.
- Helped organize public meetings on high profile topics such as oil and gas development and coal mining.
- Was a spokesperson for BLM Wyoming.
- Developed crisis communication strategies.
- Coached and mentored BLM employees in communication tactics, including how to take complex, scientific information and communicate it in a way the public could understand.
- Worked with the Wyoming State Legislature and Wyoming County Commissioners Association.
- Served as the Congressional delegation and Governor’s office liaison.
- Graduated from Leadership Wyoming program.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-1035-14 (Permanent, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Kevin Christensen, 307-261-7600, kchristensen@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Deputy State Director, Resource Policy & Planning Division
Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office
Cheyenne, Wyoming
08.2019 - 12.2019
- Helped transition two new supervisors.
- Refined routing guidance for review team briefings.
- Supported Greater Sage-Grouse Land Use Plan Amendment efforts.
- Assisted in division workforce planning and budget/project strategy.
- Ensured work was conducted in a variety of disciplines, including forestry, rangeland management, cultural resources, wildlife biology, air quality, etc.
- Worked to identify and implement tactics to better field relationships, such as regular branch chief calls with each district's assistant field managers.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-0340-14 (Temporary Detail, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Duane Spencer, 307-775-6146, dspencer@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Associate District Manager
Bureau of Land Management Southwest District
Montrose, Colorado
10.2018 - 12.2018
- Supervised district staff.
- Coordinated government shut down communication and procedures for the district regarding the federal lapse in appropriations.
- Assisted with the review and final approval of the Uncompahgre Field Office Proposed Resource Management Plan.
- Worked with local partnership organizations to promote responsible recreation throughout the district.
- Helped conduct a successful Little Book Cliffs wild horse adoption.
- Worked through the BLM Colorado Human Resources process to fill vacancies in the district.
- Coordinated weekly reports from the district to BLM state office leadership.
- Collaborated with field managers on how to work through various resource management issues, including public access and illegal dumping.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-0340-14 (Temporary Detail, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Stephanie Connolly, (970) 240-5300, sconnolly@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management Montana State Office
Billings, Montana
07.2011 - 07.2014
- Member of the State Leadership Team and provided advice to managers on the potential impacts of land-use decisions.
- Developed talking points and communication strategies for high profile issues, such as hydraulic fracturing, Tribal relations, major realty actions, Greater Sage-Grouse, and the Bakken Formation oil and gas boom in North Dakota.
- Served the BLM as media liaison and spokesperson regarding multi-million-dollar oil and gas transactions, wild horse gathers, and wildland fires.
- Represented the Montana/Dakotas State Office as the Federal Register contact.
- Worked regularly with the BLM national office and the local field offices to increase effective internal communication, using tools like early alerts, newsletters, and briefing papers.
- Was the Webmaster and social media lead for the three states.
- Was called upon to provide information to the local Congressional delegation and interested stakeholders.
- Participated as an on-call fire information officer at the Billings Dispatch Center.
- Developed videos, feature stories, and news releases to highlight field projects in the three states.
- Was the communication/marketing representative for one of the most controversial wild horse gathers and adoptions within the BLM in 2012. The team’s performance during the Pryor Mountain wild horse gather was nationally recognized by the BLM Director.
- Led the communication efforts for the rollout of two major Draft Resource Management Plans.
- Graduated from the Emerging Leaders Program.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-1035-12 (Permanent, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Mel Lloyd, now retired.)
Assistant Field Manager
Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office
Monticello, Utah
01.2013 - 03.2013
- Supervised natural resource specialists in a variety of disciplines, including cultural resources, recreation, geology, petroleum engineering, realty, wildlife biology and rangeland management.
- Represented the BLM at San Juan County Commissioner meetings.
- Worked closely with constituents, including grazing permittees and conservation organizations.
- Coordinated budget planning projects.
- Was the National Environmental Policy Act Coordinator.
- Facilitated solicitor comment response to projects under litigation.
- Assisted in developing communication/educational outreach with the Navajo Tribe regarding wood-cutting permits.
- Led the communication efforts in the Monticello Field Office regarding the effects and implementation of sequestration.
- Member of the Canyon Country District Leadership Team.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-0340-12 (Temporary Detail, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Brian Quigley, 435-587-1503, bquigley@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management Gila District Office
Tucson, Arizona
02.2009 - 07.2011
- Represented the BLM as spokesperson for controversial issues, such as U.S.-Mexico border security and the impacts of drug smuggling on public lands.
- Served as point of contact for local congressional staff members to discuss constituent concerns and inform Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Congressman Raul Grijalva of public land activities.
- Conducted tours of significant BLM land areas for members of the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as high profile figures within the Department of the Interior.
- Assisted in liaison work with the Tohono O’odham Tribe.
- Developed and maintained relationships with BLM partners and volunteer groups, like the Friends of Ironwood Forest, to achieve collaborative goals.
- Wrote speeches and created PowerPoint presentations for the BLM Arizona State Director, local management, and Deputy Director for the BLM.
- Designed and edited brochures, newsletters, wayside signs, and exhibits used to highlight BLM activities and National Landscape Conservation System units.
- Conducted public land events, as well as groundbreaking celebrations for projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, such as the Las Cienegas Mesquite Removal Project.
- Wrote correspondence on behalf of the BLM in response to congressional inquiries pertaining to issues in the BLM Tucson Field Office.
- Was a member of the National Wild Horse and Burro Communication Team, which is deemed one of the most prominent and controversial programs in the BLM. The work the team accomplished in 2010 was recognized with the first ever Director’s Team Accomplishment Award.
- Was the Freedom of Information Act coordinator for the Tucson Field Office.
- Highest Grade Level: GS-1035-11 (Permanent, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Brian Bellew, 916-978-4653, bbellew@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office
Cheyenne, Wyoming
06.2006 - 02.2009
- Developed and implemented communication plans with outreach goals, strategies, action plans, fact sheets, and contact lists for collaboration projects.
- Edited, wrote, and oversaw content and graphic design of briefing books submitted to the BLM Wyoming State Director, Secretary of the Interior and congressional staff members.
- Created various public outreach tools, including videos and displays for different BLM programs.
- Edited news releases, feature stories, brochures, briefing papers and early alerts from the field offices.
- Public affairs work experience in other BLM locations during this time period include:
- Public Affairs Specialist detail to Phoenix District Office (May - June 2008)
- Public Affairs Specialist detail to Washington D.C. National Headquarters (August 2007)
- Highest Grade Level: GS-0199-07 (Temporary, Full-time, 40 hours/week)
- Supervisor's Name: Steven Hall, 303-239-3672, sbhall@blm.gov) Yes, you may contact.
Education
Master of Science Degree - Public Communication and Technology
Colorado State University
12-2009
Bachelor of Arts Degree - Communication and Journalism
University of Wyoming
05-2006
RECOGNITION
Performance Appraisals: Never rated below a superior level. Note: USDA only rates pass or fail, but I received a performance award every year., Awards:, NASS Administrator Award for Excellence (2022), Performance Awards every year, including one Quality Step Increase (2009-2023), Star Awards (2012, 2017, 2020), BLM State Director Team Accomplishment Award (January 2013), BLM Director Team Accomplishment Award (October 2012), Applause Awards (March and June 2011), BLM Director Team Accomplishment Award (October 2010)
Timeline
Chief of Staff
Bureau of Land Management Headquarters
03.2025 - Current
Deputy Assistant Director, Communications Directorate
Bureau of Land Management Headquarters
05.2024 - 01.2026
Director, Office of Public Affairs
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Headquarters
08.2021 - Current
Deputy State Director, Resource Policy & Planning Division
Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office
08.2019 - 12.2019
Associate District Manager
Bureau of Land Management Southwest District
10.2018 - 12.2018
Deputy State Director, Office of Communications
Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office
07.2014 - 08.2021
Assistant Field Manager
Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office
01.2013 - 03.2013
Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management Montana State Office
07.2011 - 07.2014
Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management Gila District Office
02.2009 - 07.2011
Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office
06.2006 - 02.2009
Bachelor of Arts Degree - Communication and Journalism
University of Wyoming
Master of Science Degree - Public Communication and Technology
Colorado State University