Carla Provost

Carla L. Provost (born November 21, 1969) is an American retired government official who served as the Chief of the United States Border Patrol from August 2018 through January 2020. She was the first woman to serve as Chief of the Border Patrol, a career law enforcement position.

Early life and education Carla Provost was born in Burlingame, Kansas. Her father, Max, worked for the Santa Fe Railroad, which became the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Her mother, Faye, was a paralegal for a law firm before dying from Alzheimer's disease.

Provost graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in sociology and criminal justice; and obtained a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University. Provost entered duty with the Border Patrol on January 8, 1995, when the 5,000 member force was 5% female. It was later revealed that Provost herself was once a member of the group, having posted in it in November 2018. In a July 2019 congressional hearing, Provost testified that she was "an infrequent user of Facebook" and first learned of the offensive posts in reporting by ProPublica. Upon hearing of the postings, she provided CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility with full access to her Facebook account for investigation. She was awarded a Meritorious Senior Professional Presidential Rank Award. She then served as the director of the Pecos Children's Center, a privately-run emergency shelter in West Texas for migrant children, from March to May 2021. She is currently a contractor for San Antonio-based nonprofit Endeavors.

Personal life Provost has one child, a daughter.