Dr. Elizabeth Kolmstetter

Dr. Elizabeth Kolmstetter is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Chief People Officer.

Prior to CISA, Kolmstetter was the Director of Talent Strategy and Engagement in National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Human Capital Office. She was responsible for programs including workforce strategy and planning, people analytics, and employee engagement. In 2021, she was named Deputy for Workforce Transformation to focus on NASA’s Future of Work and Digital Transformation imperatives. Her work directly contributed to NASA being named the Best Place to Work in Government (large agencies) for 10 years in a row.   

Kolmstetter has pioneered innovative programs across agencies including NASA, Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). While at ODNI, she established the Intelligence Community Cybersecurity Recruiting and Retention Task Force in support of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (with Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security). This work resulted in the Government’s first Cybersecurity Competency Directory and standards, still in use by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for cybersecurity professionals.   

Kolmstetter is a recipient of the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, National Intelligence Superior Service Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Hollins University Distinguished Alumnae Award, the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology (SIOP) M. Scott Myers Award for Best Applied Research and is a Fellow of SIOP.   

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. She and husband, Michael, are the proud parents of twins Miles and Nicole.