Amanda Schoch

About Amanda Schoch

Amanda Schoch transforms how organizations engage, develop strategy, operate, and lead change.With 20 years of executive leadership across the Intelligence Community and national research enterprise, Amanda brings a rare combination: strategic breadth across policy, legislative affairs, and large-scale organizational change, combined with deep expertise in communications and stakeholder strategy. This diverse foundation shapes her approach to leadership. She doesn\'t just think like a communicator. She thinks like an operator, strategist, and change agent who uses communications as a strategic lever.Currently at PNNL, Amanda leads a 100-person communications division through comprehensive restructuring. She\'s shifting the organization from tactical, reactive operations to strategic, integrated impact. The transformation changes not just what the team delivers, but how leaders across the Lab make decisions and drive change.Prior to PNNL, Amanda spent two decades in the IC in roles spanning legislative affairs, policy development, program leadership, and large-scale organizational transformation. At the National Security Agency, she led major change initiatives that restructured how the agency operated. On Capitol Hill, she built fluency in legislative strategy and stakeholder management. As Assistant Director of National Intelligence at ODNI, she was the public voice for the U.S. Intelligence Community, providing strategic counsel to the Director of National Intelligence, managing high-stakes crisis communications, and driving messaging strategy across 18 IC elements.Amanda\'s unique value lies in two executive capabilities:Systems thinking across organizational boundaries. Her experience spanning legislative affairs, policy, operations, and communications allows her to see integration opportunities, strategic misalignments, and patterns others working within single domains cannot see.External perspective in internal decision-making. Whether working on Capitol Hill, driving NSA transformation, or leading IC communications, Amanda has always operated at the intersection of internal operations and external stakeholder expectations. She translates these insights into strategic advantage.Beyond her operational leadership, Amanda serves on the Ragan Communications Advisory Board and teaches Intelligence and Policymaking at the University of Maryland. She holds an M.A. in National Security from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Maryland.

Experience

1. Chief Communications Officer (CCO)

   Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

   Jun 2021 — Present

   Lead team of 90+ communications professionals for DOE national laboratory with employees and a $1.6B annual research portfolio. • Redesigned enterprise communications operating model across 10 directorates, integrating institutional and directorate-level functions, driving 30% improvement in operational efficiency, eliminating redundant roles and processes, and achieving measurable increases in message consistency across all stakeholder touchpoints.• Drove 190% increase in media engagement and improved institutional favorability through strategic repositioning of PNNL’s brand, directly supporting business development and talent acquisition objectives.• Orchestrated enterprise-wide integration of internal communications, HR communications, and change management communications to create cohesive employee experience, successfully supporting major organizational transformations including strategic restructuring, leadership transition, and business transformations while maintaining workforce morale and productivity.• Strengthened PNNL\'s competitive position as employer of choice through strategic employer brand campaign, achieving 10x growth in brand impressions, 144% increase in engagement rates, and measurable improvements in talent acquisition metrics and workforce pride.• Established communications competency framework and professional development program focused on strategic acumen, data-informed decision making, digital fluency, and systems thinking, elevating communications from tactical function to a strategic capability.• Built strategic partnerships with C-suite executives, Department of Energy leadership, and industry partners to advance institutional priorities and research initiatives.• Serve as trusted advisor to Laboratory Director and executive team on crisis management, reputational risk, and strategic positioning, successfully navigating high-stakes issues without negative impact.

Education

• University of Maryland

  Bachelor's degree, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

  2001

• The Johns Hopkins University

  Masters, National Security Studies

  2007 — 2009

Skills

• Program Management
• Strategic Communication
• Strategic Planning
• Change Management
• Congress
• Dod
• National Security
• Government
• Planning
• Appropriations
• Congressional Appropriations
• Public Policy
• Intelligence
• Strategy
• Policy
• Policy Analysis
• Homeland Security
• Legislation
• Government Contracting
• Relationship Building
• Congressional Affairs
• Politics
• Program
• Government Relations
• Public Speaking
• Organizational Design
• Networking
• International Relations
• Defense
• Federal Government
• Foreign Policy
• Budgets
• Legislative Relations
• Management
• Strategic Communications