Kriste Jordan Smith has led strategic improvements and large-scale operations for multiple federal agencies for the past twenty years. She managed high-profile program teams at the Department of Education, spearheaded enterprise-wide process improvements at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters, institutionalized major learning and development programs at the Transportation Security Administration, and benchmarked employee engagement practices at the Government Accountability Office. She has managed large and geographically-dispersed teams delivering information technology deployments to hundreds of locations, overseeing emergency operations and complex procurements. Before becoming Federal Security Director at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for the Transportation Security Administration, she was at the helm of transformational change, leading innovation at the through risk-based security initiatives such as TSA PreCheck expeditedpassenger screening.

Kriste is a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES). She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from George Mason University, Master’s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University, and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. She is a Senior Fellow at the Partnership for Public Service, and a Department of Homeland Security Level III Acquisition Program Manager (highest level). A former Vice President for Professional Development for the 8,000-member Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI), Kriste also volunteers for other professional and non-profit entities that share her passion for delivering collaborative results in the federal sector.