
The WashingtonExec Executive Assistant Committee hosted a professional networking and development event earlier this month at the Dixon Hughes Goodman headquarters in Tysons Corner. Keynote speaker for the night was Salient Federal Solutions Chief Human Resources Officer Kay Curling, who spoke to more than 35 Executive Assistants, all who work in the federal contracting industry.
Curlingâs presentation focused on the changing workplace, the evolving role of the EA and handing difficult workplace issues, while providing key action steps for attendees.
âExecutive Assistants are invaluable assets to our organizations and indispensable members of the management team,â Curling said. âWhile the role of the EA demands specific competency in business, administration, technology and communications, perhaps the most important role is that of trusted confidant to the executive they serve.â

âWe are so fortunate to have Kay Curling as our speaker,â Jana DiCarlo of Attain and WashingtonExec EA Committee Founding Chairperson said. âKay brings a vibrancy and energy to everything she does and as another EA put it, âShe did not disappoint.â Kay gets it. She knows the audience she is addressing arenât paper-pushing, key-tapping admins. These are people who see themselves as partners to their executives and are hungry to continue to evolve into what todayâs business world expects todayâs EA to be.â
Curlingâs background and experience of delivering results under tight deadlines, going beyond her job description and figuring out what to do when your company is being acquired contributed to her personalized presentation and illustrated her deep understanding of the EA role, which resonated well with attendees.
Curling is also the founding chairperson of the WashingtonExec Human Capital Council and a die-hard Hokie fan.