Carol Burton, the director of the Civilian Human Resources Agency, or CHRA, joined the Senior Executive Service, or SES, during a SES pinning and induction ceremony at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia Jan. 30.
Burton’s federal career spans more than 34 years with the Department of Defense. As the CHRA director, she is responsible for providing comprehensive civilian human resources services, advice, and support to commanders, directors and employees at installations and activities throughout the Department of the Army and selected Department of Defense agencies. Burton manages operations in Headquarters CHRA and the CHRA regions in both CONUS and OCONUS locations.
Burton said joining the SES ranks “feels incredible.” She said she has been working towards this goal for about 15 years.
“I feel so fortunate. It’s an honor and a privilege,” she said.
Ceremony
Lt. Gen. Thomas Seamands, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, officiated the ceremony and gave an overview of the Civilian Corps. Civilians have always been an integral part of the Army since the Revolutionary War, he noted.
“In fact, 60 percent of the institutional Army is made up of civilians,” he said.
Seamands said although there are around 300,000 Army civilians, less than one percent are selected for and serve as an SES.
“That’s how special this is for us, and it speaks volumes about Carol’s ability to lead,” he said.
Seamands said Burton has had “exceptional career” and “has already left her mark across the Army.”
“I’m impressed with Carol’s intent to focus on the process improvement in all matters of civilian human resources, from hire to rehire,” he said. “She’s stated a goal to eliminate non-value added steps and reduce processing time and to partner with stakeholders. That’s going to be a win-win for the Army and our civilian workforce.”
Seamands thanked Burton’s family members in attendance, including her daughter, Krista Burton, and her husband, Retired Lt. Col. Lance Burton.
“They are a big part of the reason she has made it to this point in her career and they play a big part in her success,” he said. “Family members and loved ones also serve as vital parts of our Army, and we couldn’t do our jobs as Soldiers and DA Civilians without them.”
The program included the national anthem, performed by Staff Sgt. Larita Fullwood, with the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and the invocation by Capt. Rose Prosper, of CHRA.
Burton’s career
Burton, who grew up in Davenport, Iowa, accepted her first job in human resources at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Rock Island, Illinois, as a part-time high school student.
“It was such a great compliment to my curriculum,” she said. “It really did shape what I wanted to do in life, I am lucky.”
Other past assignments include the deputy regional director (Europe), director of the Kaiserslautern Civilian Personnel Advisory Center and various positions throughout the world to include Fulda, Grafenwoehr, and Heidelberg Germany; Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California; and Fort Riley, Kansas.
Burton holds a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from Saint Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa.
As a military spouse, Burton said, frequent moves meant she had to take some “backwards” steps in her career. This included accepting a lower graded position, three times. She said she did not let this deter her because she wanted to diversify her skills.
“It was actually a blessing,” she said.
As a leader, Burton recommends people take on new challenges to get out of their “comfort zones.”
“Volunteer,” she said. “Say yes to things that are scary. Tackle the tough projects, be resilient and have a positive attitude.”
She added that during her career, she sought out mentors who would challenge her.
“Sometimes mentors would find me, but most of the time I would look for them,” she said. “I couldn’t always take their advice because my family comes first, but I never discounted their advice. I saved it for when I could use it.”
Burton describes her work as rewarding, as it is complex and thought provoking. She leads 3,000 people in her organization.
“It is not easy. I like the problem solving,” she said. “You know, when you deal with people, there is not an easy solution or even a right solution so you have to figure out the best way to solve a people problem and still protect the mission.”
Looking to the future, Burton said CHRA is working towards process improvement, looking at ways to be more efficient and developing partnerships with stakeholders and organizations.
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