Chartered Territory:
See You Around, Kid.

Every so often, it’s time to say goodbye. But not this time. Charlene Harris, Senior Consultant in the Merit System Services Division of CPS, retired on the last day of March. Or should we say, “transitioned?”

In addition to acting as a senior consultant for more than 10 years at CPS, Charlene has been an account analyst at a hospital, controller at Catholic Social Services of San Francisco, audit manager at Citizens Utilities Company, staff services manager at Shasta County and director of administrative services at Santa Cruz County.

In her spare time she has served as a regional representative on a national advisory council, providing opinion to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, she has been an active member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) and the IPMA Sacramento Mother Lode Chapter, she walked a marathon for the American Stoke Association, and she raised three great kids who are now outstanding adults.

At CPS, Charlene has been a mentor, a trooper, a leader and everyone’s favorite auntie. In the words of her coworkers:

“Knowing her has made me a better person.”
– Tameka Usher

“No matter how busy she is, Charlene has made time to assist new employees or answer one more question."
– Judy Capaul

An amazing woman!”
– Katie Souza

But she’s not done yet. True, she’ll be working on a few projects here at CPS, but her next big cause will be tackling health care issues. “What I hope to do is establish an initiative to begin to address health disparities among low-income and minorities, especially African-Americans in terms of equity in treatment and access to health care,” Charlene said. So there’s no real retirement for Ms. Harris.

Having said that, there’s no doubt we’ll miss you, Ms Harris. See you around, kid.

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