Kelly Olson Joins Adobe as Head of Industry Strategy and Marketing for Public Sector

Adobe has named Kelly Olson, former acting director of the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services, to serve as the company’s Head of Industry Strategy and Marketing for Public Sector. In this role, she will focus on crafting Adobe’s go-to-market strategy and messaging for Digital Experience in Public Sector. She will leverage how Adobe’s largest commercial customers have successfully transformed the customer experience and translate these insights to help government create more integrated digital experiences for the public and its employees.

Prior to joining Adobe, Kelly spent her two-decade career supporting various organizations within the public and private sector, including Government Executive Media Group and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council. She holds vast expertise in strategy, public-private partnerships, communications, marketing and technology. At every step of her career, she has been committed to creating opportunities that connect people, ideas and solutions. During her tenure at GSA, she played a key leadership role in many important initiatives critical to the development and implementation of government-wide policies and programs focused on digital transformation, IT modernization and innovation in government.

“Throughout my career, I have experienced the power of what can be accomplished when government and industry come together to share experiences and build solutions together,” Kelly said. “I’ve had the unique opportunity to do this from multiple vantage points, most recently at GSA, working collaboratively across government to transform how agencies build, buy and share technology to improve user experiences.”

In her transition from the public sector to her new role at Adobe, Kelly’s commitment to serving the public sector has remained the same and closely aligns with Adobe’s mission of “changing the world through digital experiences.”

“Adobe is an incredibly innovative company that has been recognized globally as a leader in technology for building capabilities that have tremendous impact at scale for their customers. I’m excited by the opportunity to partner with the public sector to share this experience.”

Leveraging digital transformation for better citizen service

The need to transform government services to improve both the employee and citizen experience has never been greater. Integrated data management, analytics and customer insights are critical to improving service delivery. Helping agencies prioritize user needs by improving the functionality, usability and experience on federal websites and mobile devices has never been more important. Eliminating redundant paper-based forms and workflows that meet electronic signature requirements will be key to improving the way the government interacts, engages and transacts with the public.

The commitment and leadership from the Administration has accelerated the momentum to turn this vision into a reality. A solid foundation has been created over the past few years. 2019 will be the year of implementation. Rather than an afterthought, IT modernization and customer experience design in government are important components of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) and now a mandated objective by the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA). While legislation and compliance is important, it isn’t the only reason for government to prioritize customer experience. Agencies that invest in this see improved customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, customer trust and cost savings.

There have been many pockets of innovation and success across all levels of government but there’s still a gap in bringing those efforts together and looking at how the progress being made can be better integrated, scalable and repeatable. This is a remarkable time to be working in government IT and Adobe is committed to partnering with the public sector to design and deliver consistent, seamless digital experiences that meet citizen expectations.