Women to Watch at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock: Regina Wade-Carter
Regina Wade-Carter, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Director of Public Safety and 糖心Vlog传媒LR Chief of Police. Photo by Ben Krain.
In this special series for Women鈥檚 History Month, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is profiling women leaders who are making a difference at the university. Regina Wade-Carter has the university鈥檚 safety as her top priority. She serves as 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 associate vice chancellor of public safety and chief of police.
Q. Tell me about yourself.
You won鈥檛 find too many people in my position that have as diverse a background as me. I started out in housing at Henderson State University. I was 19 and working as an assistant hall director for an all-female dorm. When I came to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Jim Hendley was the chief here and hired me to be a relief dispatcher as I was finishing my undergraduate degree. I鈥檝e also worked in Admissions and Financial Aid, and I鈥檝e served as the interim registrar twice at this university. I鈥檝e also served as adjunct faculty on this campus teaching sociology classes.
While I was in the registrar鈥檚 office, I was maintaining my auxiliary police officer certification. The million dollar question is how I became chief. Dr. Joel Anderson and Dr. Bob Adams asked me to be interim chief, and I did that for almost a year. At the same time, my son was in junior high, and I felt that I wasn鈥檛 ready to be a full-time chief. I went back to work in the registrar鈥檚 office. A year and a half later, I got the call again to come back and be interim chief. I was offered the job on a full-time basis in 2014, and I鈥檝e been here ever since.
I鈥檝e got one son, Joseph Carter Jr., who will graduate this May from the University of Arkansas and then he will be attending graduate school. I’m so proud of him. This young man has been maintaining an almost 4.0 GPA the whole time.
People like to say I鈥檓 the first African American female police chief on campus, but I don鈥檛 like to look at it that way. God put me in the position where I needed to be, and he put certain people along the way to steer me in the right direction.
Q. How did you arrive at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock?
I transferred here my senior year in college. I was a senior at Henderson State, and I got married. My husband was working in the Secretary of State鈥檚 office. I decided the commute was too much, and I decided to come to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.
I have an undergraduate degree from here in political science. I also have a master鈥檚 degree in public administration. I owe everything to Dr. David Sink and Dr. Jerry Stevenson. They were both excellent professors in the MPA program.
Q. What does 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock mean to you?
I wasn鈥檛 born in Little Rock, but I was raised in Little Rock. I was raised right here on 29th Street. This campus was my playground growing up. This campus is a part of me. I take pride in it. I鈥檝e had opportunities to go somewhere else, but this is my home. My son was mostly raised on this campus as well. Those are memories I will have the rest of聽 my life. I鈥檓 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. I got my undergrad and my master鈥檚 degree here. This is my home. I love Little Rock, and this is the anchor for the city.
Q. What is your current position at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock? What are your duties?
As 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 chief of police, I oversee the daily operations of the university police department. We have a staff of 43 personnel, including officers, communications, and dispatchers. I have briefings every morning with my command staff, have briefings with my communications department to see what type of calls came in, overseeing the budget, overseeing our criminal investigations division, and overseeing parking operations for the campus. Basically I oversee all planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the activities of the department, including providing a safe and secure environment for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Q. How would you describe your leadership style?
I see myself as the players鈥� coach. I鈥檝e always prided myself in knowing every operation in the department because I鈥檝e done it before. I won鈥檛 ask my staff to do anything I haven鈥檛 done before. I鈥檓 very entrenched in the day-to-day operations of the department. My officers and dispatchers know they can rely on me, so I try to lead by example.
Q. As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?
I won鈥檛 say I鈥檝e had barriers in my career, although I had to set a certain bar for myself and maintain that bar. I鈥檝e had some good people in my life that have steered me in the right direction. Dr. Joel Anderson, Dr. Bob Adams, and Ms. Sandra Dannaway gave me an opportunity, and I鈥檓 grateful for that. I鈥檝e had supervisors that have backed me 100 percent. This university has been good for me. I see myself as opening the door for someone else to follow in my footsteps in the future.
My ultimate goal is to one day be a vice chancellor for student affairs. I have one young lady in the department who I鈥檓 very proud of. She asked me to be her mentor, and that opened up my heart so big. She鈥檚 said she wants to be where I鈥檓 at. I told her don鈥檛 aspire to be where I鈥檓 at; I want you to be farther than where I鈥檓 at.
One thing I didn鈥檛 realize is how many people are watching and how many lives I have touched on campus. People still remember me from Financial Aid and Records and Registration. I love watching those kids cross the stage on graduation. It just wraps everything together.
Q. What woman has inspired you the most and why?
I can say my mom has inspired me the most. One thing she鈥檚 always told me since I was a little girl; You never let anyone define you. That has been my concept in life. She has instilled in me that education is the key. No one can take your education away from you no matter what. My mom is the oldest of six children. She turned down the opportunity to go to college to help her mom and stepfather rear up the rest of the kids. I take admiration from that. Under her leadership, every last one of her brothers and sisters attended college and graduated except for one. I just can鈥檛 say enough about my mom. She鈥檚 my rock.
Q. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
Never give up on your dream. Whatever you set your mind to do, do it. You will have obstacles along the way, but you鈥檝e got to work through those obstacles.
I could have derailed my dreams by a comment that was made to me when I was 6, and a teacher, during a parent-teacher conference, told my mom that I could not be taught. The principal was there and told my mom that we are going to get Regina where she needs to be. I went to another teacher in another class, and I flourished.
That is when my mom made that comment to me; You never let anyone define who you are. That is what I would tell any woman who is trying to go through the ranks in leadership. Don鈥檛 let anyone define who you are. You are in control of your own destiny. Look where I am now. The sky’s the limit on what you can do. I don鈥檛 believe in a glass ceiling either. I鈥檓 going to kick that glass ceiling out.
Q. Name something about yourself that most people would be surprised to learn.
Believe it or not, but in some ways I鈥檓 kind of an introvert, and some people would not believe that. Sometimes, I have to step back and have some alone time and quiet time to focus and to determine what my game plan will be. On the outside, I鈥檓 a people person, but I鈥檓 also an introvert.
Q. What鈥檚 one leadership lesson you鈥檝e learned in your career?
You can鈥檛 do everything by yourself. I learned that years ago, but I learned it the hard way. It鈥檚 a team effort. I believe in surrounding myself with people that have the knowledge and skillset that can help promote the department. It takes a village to help run any department correctly.
