Kathleen Carson
U.S. General Services Administration
2017 fellow
Kathleen Carson currently serves as the Director of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service’s (FAS) Office of Customer Accounts & Research, Customer Outreach Division. In this role, Kathy is responsible for designing and implementing the organization’s corporate marketing and communications program, which encompasses all of the $50B+ markets and stakeholders FAS serves. It is a function that is traditionally viewed as a headquarter ‘Marketing’ function in a commercial Fortune 500 business.
In prior years she has managed the construction of corporate business development tools (such as an enterprise Customer Relationship Management system, and business intelligence tools). She was a pioneer who led the application of commercial research, analysis, and decision support systems and techniques all aimed to improve FAS customer service support and client engagement activities worldwide. Her efforts set the foundation for strategic and tactical business development activities, customer service planning and feedback systems for the agency- and are all still in use today. In 1992, she was a galvanizing force that led to the development of GSA Advantage! – the U.S. government’s first commercially open on-line commerce site.
Kathleen began her career as an intern with GSA in 1987. She is a graduate of Miami University, Oxford Ohio where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She earned a Masters of General Administration from the University of Maryland, University College, College Park, Maryland (1996) and is a graduate of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Senior Executive Fellows Program.
Director, Customer Outreach Division, Office of Customer Accounts & Research U.S. General Services Administration.
