Blanca Sanchez has been named as the Coast Guard’s Director of Civilian Human Resources, Diversity, and Leadership.
This position is responsible for the overall direction, management, planning, coordination and administration of the Coast Guard’s Service-wide civilian human resources (HR), diversity and leadership programs. In this capacity, Sanchez will be responsible for advising senior leadership on a wide range of sensitive and vital issues extending to matters involving the management of civilian personnel, diversity and inclusion, workforce planning and analysis, labor relations, and leadership development.
Having started on her career path with the U.S. Postal Service in front-facing customer service and supervisory roles, Sanchez emphasized the importance of communication, collaboration, and teamwork. She continued her professional development while studying at the University of Texas. There, she earned a bachelor’s in Marketing and later a dual master’s with a concentration in Human Resources Management and Organizational Psychology and Development.
In 2008, Sanchez put her experience and knowledge into use by becoming the HR Director at one of the most complex areas of the US Postal Service. She served in the Capital District of Washington, DC. Over the next four years, she helped shape the agency’s HR operational programs. From 2013 – 2022, she served as an HR and Operational Director at various government departments. These include the Department of the Navy, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Health and Human Services. In these departments, she championed the transformation of HR into a function that proactively contributes to the achievement of key business results. To that end, Sanchez overhauled the recruitment approach, cultivated partnerships with employee organizations, implemented modernized management and program accountability systems, and aligned HR strategies with overarching strategic goals. This resulted in considerable productivity increases.
Sanchez has specialized experience in the employee relations, staffing and recruitment, performance management, labor relations, Worker’s Compensation, benefits, and employee development programs. She has earned numerous personal and team awards during her years of civilian federal government service.
