Kristen Walsh Desmond '90 Independent Management Consultant As it has been for many other UCSB political science students, a quarter in Washington, DC under the Capitol Hill (UCDC) program was a defining career moment for Kristen Walsh Desmond ’90. She majored in political science because she was interested in the substance of the courses and felt they offered a variety of useful skills (reading, writing, research, and practical experience); however, after her Capitol Hill experience, she knew she wanted to return there and work in the public sector because “I liked the sense of mission, service, and purpose.” After graduation, her first job in Washington, DC as program instructor for the Close Up Foundation put her political science background to good use. Close Up brings high school students from across the country and beyond to the nation’s capital for a one-week immersion program focused on government, politics, current events and the media. An offer from Museum Management Consultants to support the development of museum education programs returned her to the Bay Area and introduced her to opportunities available in the consulting field. In 1995, she married Michael Desmond ‘90 (whom she met during the Capitol Hill program) and returned to Washington, DC, where she furthered her career as a consultant at NTL Institute and decided to pursue an MBA degree. After graduating from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, she went to work at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant in their organization and change strategy group, focused primarily on the public sector. In 2004, Kristen Desmond decided to strike out on her own as an independent management consultant and has since worked for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and extensively for the Department of Homeland Security on a variety of projects. She notes that the establishment of Homeland Security was the largest government reorganization in 50 years (since the United States Department of Defense was created). Completing this sort of organizational transformation requires a range of skills and services that consultants can team with federal employees to provide. Her political science education has been especially useful because “It’s absolutely necessary to understand the legislative, budget and performance management processes [in this position] and how they impact my clients in federal agencies. Sometimes I feel like I live the course ‘Power in Washington’ every day!” She loves residing in the DC area and recommends it to others. “It’s a great marketplace for people interested in this kind of work. It has many free cultural amenities, fine restaurants, and lots of good public spaces to enjoy.”