Rising Star: Daisy O. James
Project Manager, Enterprise Services, Office of Information and Technology, Passenger Systems Program Directorate, Customs and Border Protection
A fearless agile development expert, Daisy James led the transformation of one of Customs and Border Protection’s most popular public-facing programs.
Under her direction, CBP replaced the Global Online Enrollment System with the cloud-based Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) — an undertaking that was completed in just nine months using agile methodology. GOES was the public side of CBP’s Global Entry program for pre-approved clearance for travelers and commercial entities.
James’ team completed the shift in October 2017. CBP officials said users created more than 1 million accounts and submitted over 400,000 applications during the new TTP website’s first 90 days. It is now the fifth most-visited Department of Homeland Security site with roughly 26 million total visits, according to the General Services Administration’s analytics website.
Along the way, James and her team had to coordinate with the federal government’s Login.gov for self-creation and management of user account information.
TTP was CBP’s first major application to move to the cloud, so James worked closely with the Office of Information and Technology on the agency’s broader cloud migration effort.
Agile development and constant communication were essential, said Michelle Nelson, director of CBP’s Passenger Systems Program Directorate. And James was central to those efforts.
“She’s been driving the conversation and has the ear of her technical counterparts,” Nelson added.