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https://www.pmf.gov/success-stories/kevin-carter-2010-pmf

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An Official Web Site of the United States Government

Success Stories

Kevin Carter: 2010 PMF

Kevin Carter is on his third tour in public service... this time with the Defense Digital Service (DDS), a SWAT team of nerds based in the Pentagon working to bring the best in modern technical knowledge to the government. He’s seen almost every level of government, starting his career as a GS-02 intern in a Bureau of Land Management field office moving boxes to now leading a team developing counter-drone technology using modern software and user-centric design principles.

After finishing grad school and spending time at a nonprofit, Kevin returned to government in 2010 through the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF). Kevin chose the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for his PMF because he has a passion for improving the employee experience and Federal workforce. He credits the PMF program for opening unique opportunities including: writing speeches for the OPM Director, using data mining to identify improper payments, and being one of 44 individual winners of the 2012 OPM Director’s Award.

The PMF program also exposed Kevin to another branch of government, Congress, where he spent a six month rotation assigned to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Kevin provided the Committee with policy expertise on Federal personnel pay and benefits. He worked directly on three bills that became law, including the act allowing Phased Retirement.

Kevin left government from 2014-2017, but continued to support the mission as a Federal contractor. He returned to government through the United States Digital Service (USDS) after reading about the agency and its need for “Bureaucracy Hackers” from another former PMF who posted to the PMF listserv. Following a year at USDS, Kevin transitioned to DDS, a former agency team of USDS and now a standalone agency within the Department of Defense.

In total, Kevin has worked for seven unique government departments or agencies (as an employee or contractor) during his career. Kevin says, “I am a fierce believer that Federal employees enter public service because they genuinely want to make a difference and positively impact others; they just need the tools and freedom to do so."