In this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast, Martha Dorris sat down with Dr. Paul Lawrence, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Lawrence previously served as the Under Secretary for Benefits during his first term at VA and was named the 2019 Service to the Citizen Government Executive of the Year.

As Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Lawrence oversees VA operations and supports the Secretary in delivering on the Department’s priorities. Throughout the conversation, he reiterated his commitment to veterans and to ensuring they have a positive experience when accessing VA health care and benefits.

Dr. Lawrence highlighted several key achievements, including progress in housing homeless veterans, expanding access through the opening of new clinics, and improving the speed and accuracy of benefits processing — all while working with fewer resources. He emphasized the importance of engaging directly with veterans, listening to their feedback, and using metrics to identify the areas that matter most.

Additional topics discussed included:

• VA’s ongoing rollout of the Electronic Health Record, a major transformation effort aimed at improving both the health care experience and operational efficiency, for which Dr. Lawrence serves as executive champion.
• Enhancements to the overall veteran experience beyond medical care, including small but meaningful changes that demonstrate respect and compassion.
• The value of hearing veterans’ concerns firsthand through in-person visits, and how even minor adjustments can make a significant difference.
• The importance of aligning technology investments with clear outcomes and managing change carefully to ensure successful adoption.
• VA’s responsibility to serve veterans across generations, from their late teens to over 100 years old, requiring excellence across all service delivery channels.

The conversation concluded with a focus on VA’s plans to continue improving benefits processing, simplifying forms, streamlining processes, and enhancing the end-to-end health care experience. Dr. Lawrence noted that veteran trust in VA has increased significantly over the past nine years, underscoring the impact of these efforts.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast! If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners!

Stay Connected:

• Follow us on social media:
  • LinkedIn: @DorrisConsultingInternational
  • Twitter: @DorrisConsultng
  • Facebook: @DCInternational

Resources Mentioned:

• Citizen Services Newsletter
• 2024 Service to the Citizen Awards Nomination Form

Welcome to season 6 of The CX Tipping Point Podcast! In this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast, Martha Dorris talks with Mark Forman about the evolution of digital government and e-government initiatives, with a focus on the groundbreaking Quicksilver project of the early 2000s. Mark shares how Quicksilver identified 24 priority initiatives across four portfolios to improve service delivery and reduce transaction costs—and what he would do differently if leading similar efforts today.

Drawing from his experience leading the 2001 Quicksilver digital transformation initiative, Mark discusses building a cross-agency task force of seasoned government reformers, navigating collaboration and funding challenges, and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Together, Martha and Mark explore the ongoing burden of government transactions, the complexities of organizing services around a citizen-centric model, and the lessons still shaping government CX today. The conversation concludes with Mark’s vision for “New Federalism 2.0” and how better technology integration could transform citizen services.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast! If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners!

Stay Connected:

• Follow us on social media:
  • LinkedIn: @DorrisConsultingInternational
  • Twitter: @DorrisConsultng
  • Facebook: @DCInternational

Resources Mentioned:

• Citizen Services Newsletter
• 2024 Service to the Citizen Awards Nomination Form

In this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast, host Martha Dorris sits down with a distinguished panel of leaders in customer experience and government service delivery:

• MaryAnn Monroe, Maximus
• Airis Gill, Deloitte
• Crystal Philcox, Philcox Consulting
• Lee Becker, Medallia

The group characterizes today’s environment as “codified, fragile, and accelerating”—noting strong policy alignment around CX but ongoing staffing and capacity challenges. They highlight the continued commitment to CX across administrations, from the Government Performance and Results Act to the current Customer Experience Executive Order.

Key topics include:

• Modern legislation and initiatives shaping service delivery and the need for integrated governance
• The importance of design-driven approaches, along with AI and automation—including the new America by Design Executive Order
• Preparing the government workforce for rapidly evolving technologies
• Why starting with the customer and working backwards leads to better, more effective services

A concise, forward-looking conversation on what it takes to deliver modern, customer-centered government services.

The following policies and legislation were discussed.

21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, December 2018

Government Services Delivery Improvement Act, January 4, 2025

Executive Order 14179, Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, January 23, 2025

Section 280 of A-11, Managing Customer Experience and Improving Service Delivery, 2025

Executive Order 14058, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery To Rebuild Trust in Government (December 13, 2021)

OMB Memorandum M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience (September 23, 2023)

Executive Order 14338, Improving Service through Design, August 21, 2025

Harnessing GenAI to Elevate the Citizen Experience, Nascio, September 25, 2025

Thank you for listening to this episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast! If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us reach more listeners!

Stay Connected:

• Follow us on social media:
  • LinkedIn: @DorrisConsultingInternational
  • Twitter: @DorrisConsultng
  • Facebook: @DCInternational

Resources Mentioned:

• Citizen Services Newsletter
• 2024 Service to the Citizen Awards Nomination Form