Leadership and Social Change: Carolyn Becraft at TEDxGrandForks

Social change does not happen because it is right and good. Change happens because there is a political need for it to happen. Carolyn Becraft outlines strategies to achieve social change.

Carolyn Becraft is a native of North Dakota. She attained a B.S. degree from the University of North Dakotaand a Masters degree from the University of Southern California. She served in the U.S. Army and later established a Women and the Military Project devoted to improving the lives of military women and military families. In 1993 she was appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. In that capacity she was the principal deputy to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy and was responsible for quality of life issues for members of the Armed Forces.

In 1998, President William J. Clinton nominated Becraft as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), a position she held until January 2001. In this position Becraft focused on revitalizing Navy recruiting and initiating workforce planning for the Department of Navy. She developed an executive training curricula for Senior Executive Service members, expanded continuing learning opportunities for military personnel and Department of Navy civilians, and collaborated with the Departments of Veteran's Affairs and Labor to address sensitive issues for military veterans.

She left government service in 2001 and formed a consulting firm, Becraft Associates, focused on strategic planning, leadership development and executive coaching. Now retired, Becraft has served as Women in Defense National President and on the boards of the National Military Family Association and the Vinson Hall Corporation. She is the immediate past president of the UND Alumni Association.

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