Dawn Barton serves as the Director of Capacity and Capability Operations within the Customer Experience Directorate (CXD), in the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. In this role, she offers strategic guidance and support for critical priorities and initiatives for the Department which include the Burden Reduction Initiative, the Digital First Initiative, the Customer Experience (CX) Maturity Assessment Initiative, and an initiative to formalize CX processes. Ms. Barton leads teams and individuals in delivering training, project-based coaching, toolkits ,templates, policies, and standard operating procedures to formalizing and measuring CX efforts across the department.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Barton worked on multiple projects within the DHS HQ OCIO, before the establishment of the Customer Experience Directorate. Notably, she
served as the Customer Experience lead on the Burden Reduction Initiative which aimed to reduce the administrative burden on the public by 20 million hours. Her contribution and this initiative were recognized with the 2022 DHS Secretary’s Award for Innovation and the 2023 Service to the Citizen Award.

With more than 15 years of experience in both private and government sectors, Ms. Barton brings expertise in human-centered design methods, comprehensive policy knowledge and product delivery strategies to identify opportunities and enhance outcomes. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong track record in delivering strategic and technical program objectives for organizations such as the Social Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, the Public Broadcasting Service, and the American Psychological Association. Her areas of
expertise encompass design/research operations, people management, accessibility, strategy, training, and team growth.