Stephanie Kostro is Executive Vice President for Policy at the Professional Services Council, where she leads a strong policy team that is committed to advocating for and supporting productive collaboration between the federal government and services industry. As a recognized executive, on-air commentator, and policy expert with more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. Government and industry, she brings a wealth of knowledge in federal procurement policy and acquisition regulations, government processes and programs, and public-private partnerships.

Prior to joining PSC in 2021, Kostro was a Principal at a government relations and consulting firm where she developed and implemented policy, funding, and business development strategies for a global client base. She worked extensively with civilian, defense, diplomatic, and intelligence officials, as well as with federal departments’ oversight committees in Congress.

From 2010-2015, she was a senior fellow and director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a prominent national security think tank. Kostro served as a State Department contractor at U.S. Embassy Baghdad for one year, and from 2005-2008, she was a senior professional staff member and policy director on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. At the Pentagon from 1998-2005, she worked in a variety of offices within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on the Joint Staff, and in embassies and missions overseas.

Kostro holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Cornell University. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, Rich, and their two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, and – when conditions allow – travel.