A United States Marine Corps veteran, Carolyn C. McMillan served in the military from 1965 to 1968, thereby establishing her profound interest in helping veteran groups across the State of California. Through her experiences in the Marines, she understood the importance of helping others who are in need of assistance and, shortly thereafter, commenced her career in government. At the inception of her professional career in 1973, she served the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Service until 1976. From there, she was the coordinator of a disabled veterans outreach program in Los Angeles through the State of California from 1977 to 1978. Subsequently, Ms. McMillan was a local veteran’s employment representative from 1978 to 1980. Prior to her retirement, she excelled as an assistant director of veteran’s employment for the U.S. Department of Labor in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Drawing upon former coursework at California State University, Los Angeles, Ms. McMillan dedicates her spare time to working with homeless veteran groups at her local church, as well as volunteers with hospice care facilities and with breast cancer survivors. She sat on the board of directors of the California Department of Veterans Affairs in Sacramento from 1982 to 1983.
In light of her outstanding undertakings, Ms. McMillan earned a number of recognitions over the years, most recently being included in Who’s Who in America in 2019 and Who’s Who of American Women in 1986. Earlier, she received an Outstanding Community Achievement Award from the Federal Executive Board of Los Angeles in 1982 and was named to the Outstanding Young Women of America by the U.S. Jaycees in 1981. Most notably, she was honored by former President Jimmy Carter in 1979 for her service to her country and community.
Looking forward, in five years’ time, Ms. McMillan intends to continue assisting the veteran population in California while also spending time with her two children and four grandchildren.