Chanel Bankston-Carter

Chanel Bankston-Carter serves as the Executive Director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), where she provides executive leadership and strategic vision to expand economic opportunity for small, veteran-owned, and underserved businesses across the federal marketplace. In this role, she leads high-impact policies, programs, and national outreach initiatives to strengthen the participation and competitiveness of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), and other disadvantaged firms. A Senior-Level FAC-P/PM-certified leader, she is recognized for delivering results at the intersection of acquisition, policy, and mission execution.

Previously, Mrs. Bankston-Carter served as Director of Program Integration for VA's Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) Integration Office, where she played a critical role in one of the Department's most complex and transformational initiatives. She led cross-organizational and cross-functional coordination of platforms, systems, and programs across VA and the Department of Defense (DoD), ensuring alignment, integration, and operational effectiveness of the new Electronic Health Record system. In this role, she advised senior leadership on EHRM-related risks, impacts, and strategic considerations, briefing Members of Congress and their staff, the Office of General Counsel, and the Government Accountability Office. She also coordinated high-level communications with Congress, the White House, Executive Branch officials, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and other senior leaders, while overseeing program integration, organizational analysis, and governance structures essential to EHRM policy execution and system efficacy.

An Army Veteran, Mrs. Bankston-Carter began her VA career in Waco, Texas, as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor based at Fort Hood. She has since built a distinguished career across a wide range of VA programs and leadership roles, including positions in the Office of the Secretary, the Center for Women Veterans, the VA Central Office Customer Service Center, the Veterans Employment Service Office, and OSDBU, where she served as Director of Communications and Strategic Outreach. She also served as a VA Congressional Fellow, further strengthening her expertise in legislative engagement and executive-level stakeholder relations.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY:

2025 – Present Executive Director, OSDBU

2022 – 2025 Director, Program Integrity, Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office

2013 – 2022 Director, Strategic Outreach and Communications, OSDBU

2021 – 2022 Congressional Fellow, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC

2012 – 2013 Program Manager, Veterans Employment Service Office

2008 – 2012 Director, Customer Service Center- VACO

EDUCATION:

Master of Science in Counseling Psychology – University of Texas A&M

Bachelor of Science in Social Work/Criminal Justice – University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program graduate

The Federal Executive Institute (FEI), Leadership for a Democratic Society graduate

Leadership VA (LVA) graduate

Department of Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution- Mediation Instructor Course, Atlanta, GA