Debbie Peterson
Senior Vice President of People & Culture, MetroStar
Debbie Peterson leads a team that works hard to build a culture where employees feel valued and supported, with 92% affirming that experience.
“By placing our People Team at the epicenter of company strategy, we’ve launched programs like mPower that has equipped 80 managers with leadership skills and reduced our average annual turnover by 18% year over year,” she said. “This people-first approach has fueled eight workplace excellence awards, including The Washington Post’s Top Workplaces 2025 and USA Today’s Top Workplaces in the USA 2025.”
MetroStar invests in AI solutions that cut costs, boost efficiency for federal agencies and help attract and retain top public sector talent.
“Our People & Culture team partnered with our engineering teams to co-create AI agents that showcase how technology and human-centered design can make meaningful impact at scale,” Peterson added. “By embedding these innovations into our culture and mission, we demonstrate to current and future employees that MetroStar is a place where they can shape the future of government work through cutting-edge solutions.”
Why Watch
In 2025, Peterson’s team is advancing MetroStar’s digital labor strategy by building AI-powered HR tools that automate administrative tasks and scale support from 1:100 to 1:1,000. This initiative reduces errors, accelerates service and frees HR leaders to focus on people-first innovation, she said. The goal? To shape how AI strengthens, not replaces, human impact in federal workforces.
“At MetroStar, our people are our most important innovation,” Peterson said. “By approaching culture like a product and building thoughtful programs, our People Team is creating experiences that help employees grow, feel valued, and see their impact on the mission. I’m proud that this work not only drives recognition but, more importantly, attracts and keeps the incredible talent who power our mission every day.”
Fun Fact: Peterson is a first-generation college graduate deeply committed to creating pathways for others to achieve career success. That passion fuels MetroStar’s partnerships with programs like SkillBridge, Hiring Our Heroes and Universities.