Kerry Whitford Email & Phone Number

Denver, Co, Us

Colorado, United States

As Chief Strategy Officer, I lead and manage a comprehensive strategic planning, enterprise risk management, and organizational performance program. I am responsible for driving the continued growth and maturity of WAPA as a strategy-driven organization and fostering a strategic mindset across WAPA’s leaders. I advise the Administrator on strategy formulation and facilitate the development of an integrated strategic road map and supervisor staff responsible for change management, continuous process improvements, risk management, and performance reporting.

Denver, Colorado, United States

I am responsible for oversight and supervision of a group of talented staff dedicated to ensuring strong internal controls and risk management within the Bureau of Reclamation. My responsibilities include overseeing the management of Reclamation's internal directives system, which encompasses Commissioner policies and directives and standards that document internal roles and requirements; the implementation of the Programmatic Internal Control Program which identifies and addresses organizational enterprise-level risks; and the Quality Assurance Review program which tests the effectiveness of risk treatments as well as evaluates program effectiveness.

Greater Denver Area

I am serving as Reclamation's Science and Technology Prize Competition Administrator. My duties include administering a portfolio of Grand Challenges and prize competitions which seek citizen and private sector solutions to government research problems. Through crowd sourcing techniques, we seek innovative solutions to Reclamation's mission and operational challenges related to water availability, infrastructure sustainability, and environmental compliance. My duties include: overseeing, managing and designing competitions; developing and enhancing Federal and non-Federal partnerships; overseeing contracts with prize competition service providers; facilitating prize competition team activities; and coordinating "next step" efforts to move prize competition solutions to use in the field.

Leading Reclamation's implementation of an Presidential order and international standard (ISO 14000) to reduce the federal government 's environmental impacts resulting from operations, activities, products, and services. Appointed in 2010 to lead Reclamation's sustainable buildings efforts. Working with the Department of the Interior and an internal Sustainable Building Council to ensure that 15% of our applicable building inventory meets the Guiding Principles for High Performance and Sustainable Buildings.

Washington Dc (Remote)

I was selected for a detail assignment to perform as the Chief of Staff for Reclamation during the Federal government transition following the 2020 Presidential elections. I was responsible for shepherding the review and approval of the Commissioner’s high-priority initiatives through the Bureau of Reclamation, Department's Assistant Secretary, often for Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Office of Management and Budget approval prior to submission to Congress. Served as advisor, project manager, organizer, reviewer, coordinator, strategist, and subject matter expert for Reclamation's organizational structure and operations. Oversaw staffing and recruitment of the Commissioner's office. Ensured a smooth transition between the former and current administrations. Facilitated briefings of the Biden "landing team" to orient them to Reclamation's programs and mission.

I led strategic planning, goal setting, and performance reporting for water delivery, power, recreation, and environmental program areas in Reclamation.

At EPA, I was the State Planning Manager for the State of Colorado and 8 Native American tribes. In this capacity, I performed as the liaison between EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and sovereign tribal nations, negotiating performance agreements and overseeing a total of $8 million in environmental grants. I coordinated the involvement EPA, state, and tribal technical staff in development and approval of state and tribal partnership agreements with EPA. As the primary point-of-contact, I tracked local issues, relevant legislation, and program performance, and advised executives on policy and courses of action. As an additional responsibility, I represented EPA Region 8 on Colorado's Pollution Prevention Partnership and performance partnership councils at the national level.

Master Of Public Administration, Environmental Policy, Private Sector Sustainability, State And Local Finance, Public Budgeting, Orga

Environmental Conservation, Environmental Policy, Ecology, Biology, Physics, Adminstrative Law