Ian Herbst

About

Senior executive operations leader with experience supporting top leadership at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the Defense Health Agency. Built executive-facing tracking systems (Excel/SharePoint), implemented meeting-time standards (25/50), and led large-scale initiatives including multi-million dollar exhibits and a 25,000-person keynote event, with deep discretion from long-term military security clearance.

Experience

Education

Key Strengths

• Managed multiple cross-functional initiatives including multi-million dollar museum exhibits
• Built and maintained a centralized executive-facing project tracking dashboard (initiatives, goals, owners, milestones) using Excel and SharePoint
• Improved executive productivity by implementing 25/50-minute meeting standards at the Defense Health Agency
• Led strategic planning and execution for a keynote event for ~25,000 attendees involving 50+ people and two companies
• Strong discretion and confidentiality backed by nearly two decades holding a military security clearance

Reference Highlights

• Supportive and resourceful
• Thorough and thoughtful
• Professional
• Confident and capable
• Calm and collected under pressure
• Friendly and competent leadership style
• Strong interpersonal relationships; well-liked across the institution
• Consistently respectful and kind to everyone
• Hard worker
• Effective
• focused and dedicated
• committed to professional development
• creates efficiencies
• collaborative communicator
• strategic operational partner
• one step ahead / proactive
• anticipates needs and addresses them directly
• produces high-quality work with minimal revisions
• process-oriented
• leverages technology to save time
• organized
• asks for clarity and avoids assumptions
• strong prioritization when given context/why
• handles pressure well
• manages expectations effectively
• proactive accountability
• direct communication that drives alignment
• effective at clarifying vague roles and expectations
• great with people, especially executives
• makes others feel important without being overly solicitous
• professional and efficient
• knows when to step back / get out of the way
• comfortable in high-visibility environments with senior/high-profile stakeholders