Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs

Director Colonel (retired) Charlette K. Woodard As a native Washingtonian, assuming this role enables her to continue contributing to the veteran community. Making a positive impact in the community where she was raised is at the core of her values. Colonel (retired) Woodard firmly believes that to whom much is given, much is expected, and is committed to giving back. She is passionate about assisting veterans like herself in navigating the various available programs to access the benefits they are entitled to. She has a diverse career experience, coupled with her empathy for veterans.
 
Before joining Mayor Browser's Administration, she served our country for 30 years in the Department of the Army as a senior Human Resources officer specializing in Human Resources Management, Strategic Planning, and Operation Management. Over her years of experience, she has a proven track record of providing strategic leadership in personnel management, including recruitment, compensation policy, and career development. She is adept at building and maintaining solid relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring effective collaboration and communication.

Ms. Woodard's career encompasses various assignments within and outside the United States. Her most recent assignment was as the Assistant Director of Reserve Compensation at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)/Military Personnel Policy, Military Compensation Policy at the Pentagon. In this role, her responsibilities covered a broad spectrum of personnel management and compensation policies that profoundly impacted the Reserve Component (RC) workforce of the United States Armed Forces. She was involved in everything from developing and coordinating legislation to formulating policy, publishing instructions, and implementing strategic collaborations with key government agencies, such as the Military Services, Department of Justice, Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.
 
Notably, Ms. Woodard graduated from the National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, DC, where she engaged in strategic planning for national security with government and non-government entities, including abroad studies in Nigeria and Africa.

Before her tenure at the National War College, Ms. Woodard had the honor of commanding a base, Devens Reserve Force Training Area (Fort Devens) in Devens, MA. This role was similar to that of the mayor of a small town: representing the Army and Installation Command in the local community, supporting over 165 tenants with their base operation requirements and supervising 65 employees.
 
Colonel (retired) Woodard has held numerous leadership positions throughout her career, including Personnel Officer Branch Chief within the Headquarters Department of the Army, Military Personnel Directorate at the Pentagon, offering critical recommendations to the Director on regulations, policy, and legislation affecting Army personnel; the Director of Human Resources for the 377th Theater Sustainment Command in Belle Chasse, LA, overseeing a personnel pool of over 36,000 individuals and managing military and civilian human resources actions and policies; Executive Officer to the Army Reserve Command Deputy Chief in Washington; Human Resources commander in Decatur, GA and Kuwait, commanding other military service personnel and managing personnel movement within the deployment's area of operation; Equal Opportunity Advisor, Postal Commander in Iraq, and Human Resources Officer.
 
Colonel (retired) Woodard has received numerous awards and decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Joint Service Commendation Medal.

Ms. Woodard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (BA) from Bennett College and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Adjutant General Corps from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC. Furthermore, she possesses a Master of Science Degree in National Security Strategy with a concentration in Ethics from the National War College, National Defense University, Washington, DC, and a Master of Arts in BA from the University of Phoenix, Kansas City, KS.