Kristen Deforrest Email & Phone Number

Alexandria, Va, Us

Mclean, Va

Developed and provide ongoing management of an SDLC Stage Gate Review Process to oversee the transition of active IT projects between project phases. Requires daily coordination and communication with 150+ federal and contractor stakeholders across three job sites nationwide, with duties that include providing guidance on process requirements and documentation, coordinating meetings and logistics for a cross-functional Committee and project stakeholders across 10+ functional areas, and conducting process trainings for NRCS and FPAC team members.Coordinated the successful restructuring and restart of three leadership-level governing boards under the purview of the Chief Information Officer: CIO Advisory Board (CAB), Risk Review Board (RRB), and Architecture Review Board (ARB). Responsible for developing governing charters; establishing restart timelines and meeting cadences; managing meeting logistics and providing presenter support; and maintaining Action Item Tracker and board SharePoint sites.Developed and implemented a Policy Lifecycle Process for the annual review of all NRCS OCIO policies. Managed review/revision activities for 64 active NRCS OCIO policies and the development of new policies in partnership with Policy Owners and agency-level policy publication team; maintained an updated policy status inventory; and addressed all agency-level reporting requirements as a member of the NRCS Policy Working Group.Served as the PMO Manager for four IT investments (2014 – 2016). Responsibilities included facilitating communication between offsite senior-level Investment/Project Managers and DC-based administrative staff, and coordinating completion of CPIC and Risk reporting requirements.Provide ad hoc cross-functional support to teams across NRCS OCIO, including providing technical document guidance and edits; coordinating weekly team status reporting; developing workflows and SOPs for team processes; and facilitating communication between stakeholders.

Washington, Dc

Served on planning team for annual Golden Goose Award supporting federally-funded basic scientific research. Duties included service as AAU liaison to award recipients and DocuThesis film crew; coordination of hotel/travel arrangements and reimbursements; management of invitation/registration process; and coordination of Selection Committee logistics.Co-organized annual Senior Research Officer (SRO) Meeting for 61 university Vice Presidents for Research. Duties included coordination of SRO-led Planning Committee; development of official meeting agendas; management of the collection and dissemination of materials for briefing packets and presentation; service as office liaison to speakers and SRO attendees; review of final event budgets; and management of all on-site event logistics in partnership with the venue event team.Organized and coordinated assorted department briefings, workshops, and events. Duties included solicitation of speaker bios; agenda development; oversight of registration process; editing and dissemination of materials; and oversight of on-site logistics. Past events include STEM Foundations Workshop (May 2012); "From Lab to Market" Hill briefing (June 2012); Cottrell Scholars Workshop on Effective Evaluation of Teaching and Learning (January 2014); and CASE Pilot Policy Workshop (March/April 2014).Managed all stages of AAU Internship Program, including student recruitment, project oversight, and end-of-term assessment. Redesigned intern supervisory structure and schedule to improve communications, promote shared accountability between interns and office supervisors, and encourage interns' integration into office setting. Served as official program representative at internship fairs and as liaison to campus internship offices.Coordinated Fall 2012 search for AAU STEM Project Manager position and served as office point of contact for candidates.

Brussels, Belgium

Developed command brief for use during official Embassy presentations, drafted cables on local political issues, developed briefing books for Ambassador's official city visits, acted as interim office liaison for weekly meetings with USEU Embassy team, and assisted in coordinating visits by State Department officials. Also assisted with research for African affairs portfolio, with a focus on Belgium's Congolese diaspora and elections in the DRC.

Responsibilities included logistical oversight and agenda development for executive-level meetings; assistance with creation and updating of BBA Strategic Plan; oversight for annual Council election process, including ballot design and record-keeping; organization of annual Council President’s Dinner and Haskell Cohn Judicial Service Award; customization of letters for sponsor organizations to promote increased member involvement; and management of weekly “Voices of the Bar” column in organization’s newsletter, BBA Week.

Washington, Dc

Updated the CPD's course registration website; provided setup and support for class meetings and events; updated school databases and student application files; performed general clerical duties such as student mailings and front-desk telephone oversight; assisted with other projects as needed.- Related skills: SurveyMonkey online survey program; Paciolan database

Responsibilities included attending meetings on Capitol Hill as an office representative; drafting memos on selected issues and bills for use by the office staff and Congressman; and researching and drafting constituent letters.

Responsibilities included attending meetings on and off Capitol Hill as an office representative; drafting memos on selected issues and bills for use by the office staff; and researching Massachusetts-based education initiatives.

B.A., Government (Major), English (Minor)

Activities and Societies: Member, College Democrats; Co-Editor-in-Chief, Ye Domesday Booke (2007 class yearbook); Tutor, DC Schools.

M.A., Diplomacy (Major), Intelligence (Minor)

Study-Abroad Program

Activities and Societies: Courses included British Politics and Society Since 1940; and Comparative Politics, with a focus on African.

Education record