BUILD’s Leader Spotlight - Charleen Anderson

Field Operations Quality and Performance Administrator • CSD HQ

BIO:
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• Hometown: Racine, Wisconsin
• First Job: High School as part of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) program, worked as an Office Assistant for J.I. Case Tractor Compan
• ​Hobbies: Online shopping, crafting, and readin
• Best professional advice received: Do what you love. Be true to yourself and the money will follow.

​What inspired you to join the BUILD? The desire to be a part of a community at work with like-minded people who actually looked like me working towards a shared objective of unity, empowerment, and generating enterprise-wide opportunities.

• ​What is your favorite memory about BUILD? The very first BUILD kick-off meeting at the Lacey Community center.  When I walked into that room and saw all of those people of color, I felt like I was “home”, so to speak.  I felt a sense of safeness and belonging that I had never felt while working for state government.

• Tell us something about your professional development journey. My professional journey started right after high school.  I joined the Army immediately after high school as I had feelings of ambivalence regarding my career path, but I was seeking independence (personally and financially).  I also wanted to pay for my own college education. I graduated high school in June 1984 and was off to Basic Training in July 1984.  I started my state service after being honorably discharged from the Army in 1994. I started as an Office Assistant (formerly known as a Clerk Typist) with the Division of Child Support.  I worked my way up to Child Support Program Administrator (CSPA) before leaving state service for 4 ½ years to pursue Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.  I re-entered state service in 2015 as a Public Benefits Specialist (formerly known as Financial Services Specialist) with DSHS Community Services Division (CSD) and sought career progression.  I currently work at CSD Headquarters in the role of Quality and Performance Administrator.  My goal is to one day become a small business consultant in the area of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

• What do you think is the most important skill that a successful professional needs to have? The most important skill definitely depends on the profession.  I believe people can be taught most skills.  However, there are certain characteristics all leaders must possess in order to be successful.  These are intrinsic characteristics, such as honesty and loyalty.  The most important for me is integrity, which naturally encompasses so many of the other necessary character traits.  A leader who operates with integrity will always do the right thing regardless if someone is watching.

• What have been some of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career? 1) Always operate in authenticity.  It’s extremely exhausting trying to be someone you are not.  If you operate in true authenticity, you’ll be exactly where you should be because people will value you for who you truly are. 2) Mentorship is important for professional growth and development.  If the opportunity presents itself, become a mentor and a mentee.  It’s interesting how much you can learn from someone who is seeking knowledge from you.  Also find a mentor who emulates who you desire to be and build a relationship with them.  I am a proponent of formal education, however some of the most practical education takes place outside of the classroom. 3) Give yourself and others grace.  We are human.  Falling down is part of life; getting back up is listening. 4) Curiosity is the gateway to empathy. 5) Never stop learning; seek to learn something new every day. 6) Enjoy life, have fun, smile, and laugh as much as you can.  Live in the present, tomorrow will be what tomorrow will be. We all have a finite years on this earth, make the most of those years.​