Lisa Gelobter
‘I Wasn’t Coming in and Telling Others What to Do’: Lisa Gelobter on the Importance of Relationship Building within Government
| Lisa Gelobter was Chief Digital Service Officer at the U.S. Department of Education for two years, beginning in April 2015. Prior, she held senior leadership roles in digital, product management, and technology at a range of media and technology companies, including Black Entertainment Television (BET), Hulu, NBC Universal, and Macromedia. |
Lisa Gelobter joined the US Digital Service in 2015, embedding within the Department of Education and working on initiatives like the College Scorecard (a tool to help students make informed choices about U.S. higher education institutions) and Gainful Employment (a rule that applies federal scrutiny to for-profit colleges and their graduates’ earnings).
Lisa attributes much of her success at the Department of Education to relationship building. She prioritized productive conversations and mutual respect with staff at all levels, which helped overcome bureaucratic obstacles and initial skepticism.
Below, Lisa speaks about the early days of USDS and why successes at the Department of Education had nothing to do with “luck.”