Carol Charlton was instrumental in the civilianisation of the immigration services, which saw the recruitment and training of the first cohort of civilian immigration officers in 2000. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Carol Charlton, to whom has been attributed the success involved in producing Jamaican passports which are machine-readable, and the civilianisation of the immigration services, says "When you are in the trenches, you do not see the glamour."

"Labour conquers all," she quips, quoting a line form the motto of her alma mater, St Jago High School, during our recent interview.

Carol Charlton believes that "keeping my nose to the grindstone" was the simple recipe for her success.

At first employed at the Ministry of Home Affairs (as the Ministry of National Security was previously known), after completing a honours degree in French at the University of the West Indies, Charlton did not believe that she would have stayed.

Instead, she had her eyes on journalism and also work in the national libraries. But, assigned to work in citizenship and immigration, the work, she says, became interesting enough to become her life's preoccupation.

Transforming the Immigration Services

Carol Charlton was recenly honoured by her alma mater, St Jago High School in Spanish Town.

On December 15, 2008, Carol Charlton will exit the Ministry of National Security and Justice after doing her part in transforming the Immigration Services.

Charlton was honoured in October by St Jago High School and listed among her lifetime achievements were researching, developing and implemented systems and procedures to improve the processing and delivery of travel documents.

She is also credited with the implementation of the technology and the best practices to enhance border security systems and procedures, thereby improving the quality of customer service at Jamaican ports.

Her citation from St Jago states that Carol Charlton, "exercised bold leadership and seasoned judgement in the merging and development of three divisions, to create the current structure of the Immigration, Citizenship and Passport Services Division (ICPSD). This division now has agency status, with an income generating operational structure."

Leighton Wilson, current director of immigration, tells Outlook, "When I came to the Ministry of National Security, I assumed she (Ms Charlton) was the typical civil servant.

"But, in working closely with her, I discovered she was one of the very brightest minds and very flexible and open to the views of those around her. Carol Charlton is a natural at customer service and thinks outside the box. She kicks away the box.

"She worked on the introduction of the machine readable passport ... All the changes which have taken place in immigration and customs in last seven years, she has been an integral part of it."

New crop for life

Charlton with the citation she received from St Jago High School.

Carol Charlton was among the first batch of common entrance scholarship students to attend St Jago High School in 1958.

The school, created out of an amalgamation of Beckford and Smiths and Cathedral high schools, prepared its new crop for life in independent Jamaica. Charlton was an 'A' student who emerged a leader and was selected head girl at the school.

She left the school with her A'Levels and spent a few months at Barclays Bank, where she remembers an old gentleman once saying, "It sure is good to see our own kind of people behind the counter."

Charlton entered the University of the West Indies, Mona, in 1965 to read for the Bachelor of Arts degree in French and - after graduating - entered the civil service.

She later advanced to Charlton University, Ottawa, Canada, and gained the certificate in public administration, also pursing and gaining diplomas in the areas of managerial studies and human resource development.

Charlton has over 15 years of experience at the senior management level and has made indelible marks in her areas of expertise.

Her last post was as a member of the Transformation Team which will oversee the modernisation of the Immigration, Citizenship and Passport Services Division, which commenced in March 2007 when the division gained agency status.

Carol Charlton says she has enjoyed the mentoring of good men and women, including Julia Sutherland, a former supervisor, and Claire Keen, a former permanent secretary.

"Claire Keen taught me so much about submissions and reports. She was all about the team. No matter how difficult the task was, she said, 'come and let us work this one through'."

Charlton says that the completion of the Hearst Report of the immigration services in 1991, followed by several audits, was a watershed period in the immigration services, as these led to the overhaul and civilianising of the services.

"There were several areas in which work had be carried out by properly trained civilians in order to release police personnel back to law enforcement," she reflects.

The implementation of this change, she notes, was most challenging, but with persistence and creativity, the training and placement of civilians was done.

Leighton Wilson notes that Carol Charlton was flexible as a senior manager. "She may (not have been) in full agreement with thinking of junior staff, but she did not make it interfere with decisions which needed to be made.

"She sees merit in the views of others and helps them to succeed. She is a zero hypocrite."

Miss Charlton, the mother of one child - son Theodore, who is a trained computer engineer and commercial pilot - enjoys the theatre, good movies and the company of friends.

Valuable listening skills

Carol Charlton with son Theodore.

She is described by close friend Sandra Cooper as most valuable because of her listening skills and lack of selfishness.

"I find Carol is someone who is an excellent listener. She is very able to understand, going beyond the words to pick up feelings. She's very selfless. She will reach out to another person and give the last shirt on her back. She is also very focused on supporting others in being the best that they can be."

According to Cooper, "When things happen that one has no control over, she accepts and simply says, so how do we move forward?"

Now that she will be out of office, Charlton does not plan to stay at home. "I am open to interesting projects," she states.

St Jago, in its award to her for contributions to 'school, the nation and beyond,' states, "We acknowledge your high achievements, your passion, your purpose, your prayers to improve and transform lives under your care and your lifelong commitment to make our country a safer, a better place."

Most agree that Carol Charlton has more to contribute.