Harris County Treasurer Dr. Carla L. Wyatt says she by no means got down to make historical past.
However in 2022, when she was elected the primary African American girl to carry the publish, she lastly realized the load of this milestone.
“I’m not a politician by any stretch of the creativeness. I’m a public servant and I work each day to attempt to be that.”
Dr. Carla L. Wyatt
“I’m not a politician by any stretch of the creativeness,” Wyatt advised the Defender. “I’m a public servant and I work each day to attempt to be that. I do know there’s some politics concerned and a few of it will get on the underside of your sneakers typically, however if you happen to carry on marching, you’ll nonetheless attain your vacation spot.”
Wyatt gained the race for Harris County Treasurer with 51.6% of the vote (550,214 votes), defeating Republican Kyle Scott, who acquired 48.4% (515,472 votes).
Now, having been within the position for greater than a 12 months and serving the general public for over twenty years, the Houston native wears her duties like a second pores and skin, typically including pragmatic and human touches to her job.
From biology to budgets
Wyatt accomplished her bachelor’s and grasp’s levels in Biology and her Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology at Texas Southern College. She aimed to develop into a health care provider, however life had different plans. Following an internship with the Harris County Engineering Division that pulled her into public service, Wyatt rotated inside varied county departments over the following twenty years, together with flood management and emergency administration throughout Hurricane Harvey.
In the course of the hurricane, she coordinated international media communications out of the county’s emergency operations heart and recalled sleeping on the ground for 37 days straight.
“You simply didn’t see me as a result of it takes a group of individuals to make these items occur,” Wyatt stated. “I used to be the particular person within the background, throwing chairs and yelling, however someone has to run the present that’s not making an attempt to be on digital camera. And that particular person was me.”
What a treasurer truly does
Harris County residents typically don’t notice what the Treasurer’s workplace does.
“I transfer the cash from place to put,” Wyatt defined. “I don’t make the selections on the place it’s going. I merely transfer it on the will of the Commissioner’s Courtroom…We transfer it to the contractors, to payroll, to something that you simply see at Harris County, from paint to flooring and jury responsibility.”
Regardless of the workload and tasks, Wyatt stated her workplace employs 11 staffers and has advocated for extra personnel and to be paid at par with the Commissioners’ workplaces.
“To be the third largest county within the U.S. and to be the biggest county within the state of Texas, we’ve 11 individuals working in our workplace,” she stated. “I don’t consider that 11 individuals can serve the need of the county in a manner that they deserve.”
Fairness as a observe, not a buzzword
Though Wyatt doesn’t determine on the place county funds are channeled, she reveals up in underserved communities — seniors’ breakfasts, church buildings and youth packages — to construct belief and supply help.
“I’m working very laborious to get an outward-facing portion of our workplace to the general public in order that they’ll know what we’re doing,” Wyatt stated.
For Wyatt, fairness is just not about flashy campaigns however entry to metropolis officers. “If you happen to don’t know who we’re and what we do or how you can get involved with us, then it’s pointless,” she defined.
The life behind the job
Reflecting on years of public service, Wyatt veered right into a religious terrain.
“This isn’t a job. That is life,” she stated.
She carries it with goal, following what she calls the “4 Ls”: life logic, legislation and legacy.
“Life might have you ever in a scenario that logically you shouldn’t be in, however the legislation will govern that that’s the place you’re going to be,” Wyatt stated. “And people three issues can have a constructive or damaging impact in your legacy of life.”
A legacy with no title
For younger girls who dream of holding management roles in public finance or governance someday, Wyatt asks them to all the time consider in themselves and embrace what they’ve been via.
“Dwell your life. It’s yours,” she stated. “If it ain’t good, make it look good. Costume your self up, repair your face. Don’t be strolling round right here trying like a throwaway. It’s okay to get your self collectively and set your self aside.”
She added that private experiences taught her that detours aren’t derailments, they’re redirections.
On her legacy as the primary Black girl to carry her position, Wyatt stated she doesn’t need to be remembered for her title however the affect she has left behind.
“The legacy that I’d like to go away behind has completely nothing to do with me,” she stated. “It has to do with everybody else and the way I can improve or assist their journey.”
