Booz Allen thrives on the diverse thinking and unique perspectives of all our people. It’s an inclusive culture that fosters collaboration and values fresh perspectives. Being a part of such a firm and our collective achievements is as exciting as it is rewarding.
Meet Kimberly
Vice President
Kimberly Ramalho serves as Booz Allen’s vice president of communications. Her primary goal is connecting the workforce to the firm’s business strategies, building a culture of excellence, and empowering employees to realize their highest potential. With more than 25 years of experience, Kimberly's wide-ranging areas of expertise include public affairs, media relations, marketing communications, advertising, employee communications, executive communications, community relations, and digital/multimedia communications.
Prior to joining Booz Allen, Kimberly led communications and public affairs for Lockheed Martin’s rotary and mission systems (RMS) business. She created integrated communications strategies that supported RMS’s business objectives while strengthening relationships with customers, policymakers, partners, employees, and communities.
As a tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion, Kimberly’s passion and commitment were honored when she received the 2019 Alice Paul Equality Empowerment Award.
Kimberly holds a B.S. in communications from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and an M.A. in organizational communications from Rutgers University.
What’s a lesson you learned growing up and how is it still relevant to you today?
Growing up, when I had tough choices in a conflicting situation, my mom would always say, “You decide.” She encouraged me to consider all options and outcomes, because it was more important for me to own my decisions—and if it didn’t work out, learn from it. To this day, I seek guidance and input from people, but I see value in all of my decisions.
How do you inspire your teams to do excellent work? How do your teams inspire you?
One of the most important elements of leadership is mutual trust and respect. Trust is the foundation for inspiration and innovation, but it isn’t easily earned. It takes an investment of time to build strong relationships and learn the styles, abilities, and motivations of each person on your team. I strive to be authentic and credible with my team by always being present and ready to point out what’s working and what needs improvement. My goal is to maintain a team and count on them to walk with me not because I told them to but because they want to.
What are the greatest challenges in communications right now?
As a communicator, it’s my job to provide timely, credible information, but we’re facing two big hurdles. Internally, from having so many sources, employees face information overload. The challenge is to ensure we’re giving our employees what they need, while helping them make the connection to how they personally and positively impact the business. Externally, we’re all dealing with a 24/7 news cycle that has no boundaries. It can be challenging to keep up with everything and determine what’s worth being addressed and what’s just buzz and hearsay—noise that we can ignore.
How are you contributing to creating a culture of inclusion at Booz Allen?
My team and I help drive affinity with our employees, engaging with them through internal communications programs and initiatives so that everyone feels they’re welcome and belong here. That feeling translates into them being laser focused on our clients’ national security and other important missions. At Booz Allen, we’re committed to fostering an environment of inclusion while empowering our employees to change the world through their work.
