Cindy Auten

Cindy leads the ICF Next Division, an integrated, full service digital and communications agency housed within ICF. She oversees a broad portfolio of public sector communications and marketing programs, spanning strategic communications, public affairs, marketing, creative, media, digital experience, and data-driven performance.

A seasoned communications and marketing leader, Cindy drives complex, multi-channel initiatives that combine strategy, storytelling, and analytics to influence behavior and advance national priorities. Her work integrates branding, content, and messaging with paid, earned, owned, and shared media to deliver measurable outcomes at scale.

She has led high-profile programs across public health, environment, energy, disaster management, cybersecurity, justice, education, and transportation, positioning ICF Next as a trusted partner for agencies tackling complex, cross-cutting challenges.

Cindy began her career in the Washington, D.C. area supporting business-to-government marketing and public affairs for a boutique firm, where she quickly expanded her leadership role to oversee multiple business lines and design large-scale, multi-year national campaigns. These efforts drove awareness and adoption of key policies and initiatives through integrated marketing, media outreach, digital platforms, and stakeholder engagement, including community and congressional affairs.

She later served at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where she supported enterprise-wide communications strategies and workforce engagement initiatives within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer and the Telework Program Office.