Ex-Yuma Border Patrol agent named 1st female to lead group
More than a year after she was named acting chief, Carla Provost, a 23year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol who previously served in command staff roles at the Yuma Sector, was officially appointed the agency’s first female chief on Thursday.
“There is no one more suited to lead the Border Patrol,” said Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan of the historic occassion. “It is my distinct honor to appoint Chief Provost to this position. I have absolute confidence in her experience, leadership, judgment and dedication to lead the Border Patrol, as well as her unwavering commitment to our mission, and our agency.”
Chief Provost has served as acting chief of the U.S. Border Patrol since April 2017, after being appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. While assigned to the Yuma Sector, she served as Assistant Chief Patrol Agent from 2006 until 2009. She was then selected as the Wellton Station’s Patrol Agent in Charge and served in that position until 2011.
Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Porvaznik said, “We are proud to have Chief Provost named as the new Chief of the Border Patrol. She is a proven leader and the right person at the right time to lead the Border Patrol.” He continued, “Chief Provost has always served with honor, integrity and unwavering dedication to the mission and the people she leads.”
She began her duty with the U.S. Border Patrol in 1995. As a member of Class 277 and was first assigned as a Border Patrol agent at the Douglas Station in the Tucson Sector, where she began working her way up through the ranks in key operational roles in some of the busiest sectors in the country.
In 1998, she was promoted to a supervisory Border Patrol agent position, and in 2001 to a field operations supervisor position. Then in 2011, following her time in the Yuma Sector, Provost was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) as deputy chief patrol agent of the El Paso Sector.
Two years later she was named chief patrol agent for the El Centro Sector in Imperial, Calif., where she led 1,200 employees and oversaw all operations within her area of responsibility. In July 2015, Chief Provost was named deputy assistant commissioner of Internal Affairs, where she oversaw compliance with all CBP-wide programs and policies relating to corruption, misconduct, or mismanagement.
“I am humbled and honored to accept this position and the challenges that come with it.” said Provost in becoming the Border Patrol’s 18th chief. “The Border Patrol is a family, and I will do everything to live up to this great responsibility and represent my ‘family’ to the best of my ability. I am so proud of the men and women of the Border Patrol.”
She continued by saying, “I know first-hand the sacrifices they make every day to protect this country, and recognize the outstanding leadership we have, and the brave and tireless work of our agents. First and foremost, I want to be able to support our personnel with the resources and equipment they need to do their jobs in a safe and effective manner. Our people are our most important resource, and supporting them is my primary responsibility.”
Before joining the U.S. Border Patrol, Chief Provost served for several years as a police officer with the Riley County Police Department in Manhattan, Kan. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and criminal justice at Kansas State University, and a Master of Science in national-resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.