Navy Recruiting Region West held a change of command ceremony on June 8, 2011 at the Memphis, Tennessee National Civil Rights Museum.

During the ceremony, Capt. Voresa Booker, a member of the Lane College Class of 1981, relieved Capt. Yolanda Y. Reagans in a historic diversity moment: two female African-American Navy captains exchanging command.

Booker assumed command of Navy Recruiting Region West on June 9, 2011. The United States is divided into two Regions. Each region (East and West) comprises 13 recruiting districts. As Commodore (her new title of command) of Region West, Booker is responsible for the 13 Navy Recruiting Districts west of the Mississippi River. Her area of responsibility encompasses 28 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii and the Pacific Territories–Guam and Japan. She supervises over 3,500 military and civilian personnel who are responsible for over half of the men and women who join the Navy each year as enlisted and officer candidates.

Booker described some of the challenges she has faced in the past and her excitement in becoming Navy Recruiting Region West’s commodore.

“Being an African-American in a predominately male environment has always been somewhat of a challenge,” said Booker. “One of the things I’ve always felt is that I always have to prove myself, and a lot of times I was the only one or one of few African-American female officers, but I always rolled up my sleeves and got the job done. When I got promoted, there were 26 African-American female captains in the entire Navy with roughly 320,000 people,” said Booker. “I really felt like I joined an elite group of women. Now, to be relieving a fellow Navy captain, who is also an African-American female, is a historic moment. I believe this is the first time this has happened in a Navy Recruiting Region.”

Booker, a native of Jackson, Tennessee, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at Lane. After enlisting in the Navy in February 1983 and following Recruit Training and Personnelman “A” school, she was assigned to the Personnel Support Detachment at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. During her first enlistment, Captain Booker was selected for Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island and was commissioned in March 1985.

In April 1985, Captain Booker reported to Training Squadron 10 in Pensacola, Fla., where she served as both the Legal Officer and Admin Officer. After completion of the Navy’s Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor School, Captain Booker reported to Naval Base Seattle in February 1987 and served as the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Regional Coordinator for the Northwest Region (Washington, Oregon and Alaska). During this tour, she also served as the Command Managed Equal Opportunity Program Officer and the Total Quality Leadership Training Officer.

In May 1991, Captain Booker reported to Navy Recruiting District Seattle as the Officer Programs Department Head. Following her Department Head tour, Captain Booker served on the staff of Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command as a manpower analyst and performed a split-tour to complete her second Department Head tour as Officer in Charge, Personnel Support Detachment Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.

Captain Booker then attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and earned a Masters Degree in Systems Management. Following Postgraduate School, she assumed command of the Military Entrance Processing Station in Tampa, Fla. In August 2002, she transferred to Special Operations Command where she served as the Chief of Navy and Marine Corps Personnel and Navy Element Commander.

In April 2005, Captain Booker reported for duty as the Executive Officer of Navy Recruiting District Nashville and assumed command July 2006. Captain Booker relinquished command in April 2008 and reported to Navy Recruiting Command as the Director of Human Resources and Logistics. In June 2009, Captain Booker reported to Navy Personnel Command where she served as the Human Resources Officer Head Detailer.

“I am ready to take command of Region West,” said Booker. “As a commodore responsible for roughly half of the nation’s recruiting force, I find it to be a challenge that I am up to. With each job I have undertaken, my responsibilities have grown larger and larger culminating in this challenging assignment. In my past experiences, I was a commanding officer of a Navy Recruiting District, moving on to Millington as the director of human resources and then detailing. Now, I’m coming back to recruiting. I’m happy to be here and happy to join Team West.”

With 70 percent of the world covered in ocean, 80 percent of the world’s population living near coasts and 90 percent of the world’s commerce traveling by water, America’s Navy is very much a global force for good. NRC’s mission is to recruit the best men and women for America’s Navy to accomplish today’s missions and meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Referenced article at Lane College

Augusta, GA) – Carla C. Smith, ’03 is regarded as one of Atlanta’s emerging leaders, speakers and trainers in the Social Services and Human Services arena.  Smith is passionate about assisting all people with becoming their best self, ensuring the core needs of others are being met and committed to the progression of her community.  Her passion has led to her recent recognition at the 7th Annual Atlanta Power 30 Under 30™ Awards.

The awards ceremony recognized the accomplishments of young professionals under the age of 30 who display strong leadership abilities as they consistently excel within their communities and respective professional industries.  Smith was recognized in the area of Community Service. “These exemplary young people epitomize the essence of hard work, merit and sacrifice. We commend your relentless commitment to the pursuit of excellence in all that you do, and I urge you to continue blazing a brilliant path, always inspiring the next generation of young people to follow in your footsteps. On behalf of the people of Atlanta, I salute this special group of bright and shining young stars.” said Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta

About Carla C. Smith

Smith is the CEO and Co-Owner of Georgia Counseling and Social Services Consultants (GCSSC), LLC, a social services consulting, program development and leadership training firm. Three University of Georgia School of Social Work Alumni started the firm in 2010.  Smith spearheaded the creation of the organization following her work in non-profit management and after looking at the state of the social services sector, examining the services being provided as well as the increased need for quality, results driven initiatives. The driving force behind GCSSC, LLC is its commitment and dedication to the community.

Previously, Smith served as Regional Supervisor for Youth Villages, a Tennessee based non-profit organization and was the lead team member for the new services site in Atlanta, Georgia. She oversaw all programming in the Atlanta region including staffing; work with external customers on the local, state and national level to include Casey Family Programs, leadership trainings, fundraising events and partnership trainings for customers.

She also served as the Region lead for the State of Tennessee’s Governor’s Mentoring Initiative in 2007 where she was a member of the development team of then Governor Phil Bredesen’s new program for children that were in foster care and the custody of the state. Smith was responsible for the marketing/growth of the program in the East Tennessee region, recruitment of mentors for foster children and educating the community on Governor Bredesen’s vision of the program and the impact to be made in the life of a child. Smith was fortunate enough to do a launching event in Knoxville, Tennessee with then Mayor and current Governor of Tennessee Bill Haslam in order to promote awareness for children in foster care and the need for mentors across the State of Tennessee. The event ignited a call to citizens in East Tennessee and the number of mentors quickly moved to nearly 80 mentors in less than a year.

Smith has traveled the United States as well as internationally to Lima, Peru and Montrious, Haiti providing leadership development and conducting social services research related presentations. Her expertise includes leadership/program development, evidenced based practices, project management, at-risk children, women and children issues, commercially and sexually exploited children and child welfare initiatives. Smith is dedicated to the work in the social services sector and committed to the enhancement of these services. Smith feels that superior services to our children and families are a direct investment into our community and that providing others with quality, results driven services at the onset will prove to have a direct positive impact upon those being served.

Read Full Article at Paine College