Dr. Elizabeth Kolmstetter visited the VT Department of Psychology on March 14th, 2024 to deliver this year's Distinguished Alumni Talk, "Making a Difference in Government: IO Psychology at TSA, CIA, NASA, CISA, and more!"
About the talk:
Having served as the first Chief of Personnel Assessment and Research and first-ever IO Psychologist at the FBI, and pioneered innovative talent programs across eight agencies: CISA, NASA, USAID, CIA, FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and National Skill Standards Board/Department of Labor, during this talk, Dr. Kolmstetter will look back on her career and discuss how IO Psychologists can help inform policy with empirical research.
About the speaker:
Dr. Elizabeth Kolmstetter is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) first Chief People Officer. She is responsible for overall workforce strategy, leadership and career development, education and training, and driving a people-first culture. She is leading CISA’s “Thriving in a Hybrid Environment” which includes future of work efforts to meet federal mandates. Prior to CISA, Kolmstetter was the Director of Talent Strategy and Engagement at NASA. Her work directly contributed to NASA being named the Best Place to Work in Government (large agencies) for ten years in a row. Elizabeth is a member of the Senior Executive Service and has over 30 years of public service and pioneered innovative talent programs across agencies including CISA, 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). She is a 2022 recipient of the prestigious Presidential Rank Award from President Biden and is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Virginia Tech and her B.A. in Psychology and Computer Science from Hollins University.