Carla Harrod: Finding Budget Solutions for the Denver Service Center

Carla and her daughter Summer enjoying an evening walk at South Valley Park.

What are your names and job titles? Carla Harrod, Budget Analyst, Denver Service Center (DSC).

What experience and education do you have? I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and in Foreign Languages – Spanish - which is my native language. I started my career with the National Park Service (NPS) as a student intern through the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)/Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) the summer of 2012. I was working in the Planning Division and eventually was hired on as a permanent employee after graduating college. The bulk of my work has been focused on managing and overseeing the execution of project budgets. My experience has been with project funded divisions at DSC which have intricate business processes. I also get the opportunity to work wit other agencies and help establish funding mechanisms for projects we collaborate on.

What do you most enjoy about working for the NPS/DSC? I love the NPS mission and our public lands! One of the things I enjoy about DSC is being able to work in interdisciplinary groups as well as the opportunity to interact with all the parks across the country. Our parks look to DSC for support in achieving this mission and it is great to be here to help them meet their goals.

What are projects are you working on? Currently my team and I are working on several different projects focusing on process improvements, planning, and strategizing for the future. But, one of my main focuses is diving into the funding DSC receives from the Federal Lands Transportation Program and learning how we implement those projects and execute those budgets between the two federal agencies. It has been a tremendous learning experience.

What is a typical day like? My typical day consists of navigating our financial and project management systems that efficiently help me execute my job on a daily basis. I am in constant communication with project managers and supervisors and support them in finding budget solutions and guidance. I also spend a lot of time problem solving and coming up with direction for my colleagues to keep projects successfully moving forward.

What career advice would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar path? Always keep an open mind, be flexible and understanding. The only constant is change!