Digital leader drives results at nexus of strategy and technology
Monica Rodriguez is senior partner for digital delivery for ICF Next, our integrated, full-service digital and communications agency.
Monica’s career journey is a testament to her resilience, adaptability, and passion for digital modernization. Born and raised in Colombia, South America, Monica came to the U.S. for school, eventually graduating from George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs followed by a master’s degree in public communication from Arizona State University.
She then began her ICF career as a web and content developer supporting a Hispanic-Latino initiative for one of our federal health clients. Where she drew on her lived experience for inspiration and to shape her content strategy for this target audience. She says, “Working on this contract significantly influenced my career early on, exposing me to a diverse range of disciplines and strategies in digital marketing and engagement.”
Through this and other early work, she found her niche in strategic communications where she learned how to successfully bridge the gap between strategy and technology—a valuable skill that is in much demand today.
Integrating strategy, technology, and human-centered design
Monica eventually transitioned into project management, finding her passion in the fast-paced, ever-evolving digital space. Today, she leads a highly collaborative, cross-functional team of 30+ experts who deliver comprehensive digital solutions—web development, application development, web hosting services, and more—to federal health clients by blending human-centered design and agile delivery approaches.
Monica’s team is integral to our federal digital modernization efforts. They’re not only delivering innovative solutions using leading-edge technologies like cloud, artificial intelligence, generative AI, data modernization, and more. But also ensuring they’re delivered with each client’s mission top of mind, so they have the holistic tools they need to succeed and drive real impact.
Leading with empathy and respect
As a leader, Monica emphasizes the importance of communication and coordination among different functional areas and fosters a culture of teamwork and mutual respect. She emphasizes the importance of empathy and work-life balance. And prioritizes training and professional development to ensure her team stays at the leading edge of digital innovation trends and is prepared to tackle any challenge, no matter how complex.
"I’ve tried to build a positive environment for my teams. When people respect and build relationships with each other, they become invested in the success of the whole team. That leads to better outcomes in the work we deliver to our clients."
This is demonstrated by the purpose-driven work the team delivers. They’re helping modernize access to behavioral health data for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Make ClinicalTrials.gov more accessible and user-friendly for patients, healthcare providers, and researchers for the National Library of Medicine. Provide better insight into funding outcomes for child care programs for the Administration for Children and Family’s Office of Child Care. And much more.
Monica attributes much of her growth to ICF’s supportive culture and leaders, such as the mentors who’ve guided and connected her with opportunities for growth. And the ICF team member who sponsored her employer-based green card early on.
