Cherell Burton
Cherell Burton is a dedicated landscaping and property maintenance professional with the King County Housing Authority, where she has spent the past six years ensuring that residential communities are clean, welcoming, and well-maintained. In her multifaceted role, she manages everything from groundskeeping and landscaping to interior cleaning and maintenance support. She responds to resident work orders, assists with unit turnovers and demolition projects, and takes pride in creating environments that reflect care and professionalism. Her work plays a vital role in shaping positive first impressions for prospective residents while enhancing the daily living experience for those who call the properties home.
Known for her strong work ethic and reliability, Cherell approaches her role with a commitment to excellence and service. She takes pride in maintaining pristine common areas, from detailed-clean bathrooms to inviting lobby spaces where residents can relax and connect. Her ability to multitask and adapt to a wide range of responsibilities has earned consistent recognition from her supervisors, who commend her focus, preparedness, and dedication. Beyond her technical responsibilities, she values the relationships she builds with residents, finding fulfillment in being a familiar and trusted presence within the community.
Cherell’s journey is also shaped by her commitment to personal growth and education. With the support of her employer, she has pursued further learning to expand her opportunities and advance her career. Currently continuing her studies in Organizational Leadership, she is driven by a desire to keep growing both professionally and personally. Grounded in resilience, passion, and a strong sense of purpose, Cherell exemplifies the impact of hard work, perseverance, and taking pride in every aspect of what you do.
• Multi-property certificate
• Multi-property certificate from Renton Technical College (2025)
• Bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership and Change from College Unbound
• Save the Children
• Mothers Injustice
• Discipline Coalition
• Kids Voice to Change Education Empowerment
• Community Cafe for Black Autism
• Summer reading program for struggling readers
• Advocacy for children with autism
What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to say my mom. She always gave me the encouragement that I can do whatever I want. She never held me back. I would also say it would be with my mom and my sister. They both encourage me. They always seem to guide me, and don't tell me that I can't do whatever I want to do. They always seem to ground me and give me the word of encouragement that I could be successful. And I have to be happy and passionate and grateful to the two of them. Even though my mom's not here anymore, but my sister is.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Being at King County Housing Authority, they always seem to be about their staff. My boss always gives me kudos on how fantastic my work ethic is, that I show up on time, I'm always focused, I'm always prepared, and I'm always able to multitask. And I think what I love about KCHA is that without them paying for my schooling for me to go to school to get my acknowledgement, I wouldn't be where I am today. They really invest in their employees and recognize good work, which has been invaluable advice and support throughout my career.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would have to say, you know, I get the type of job that I do, it's a male-dominant type job, but don't let that derail you not to be able to do whatever you want and whatever your mind says. Don't allow what society feels about what are male jobs and what are females' jobs. Because to me, to be honest, I think females work tremendously a lot better than males anyway. So don't let that be the reason to not allow for you just to succeed.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would have to say there's not a lot of females. I would love to see a lot of females do what I do. But I get it, it's hard. It's a hard job. But I can say this, that it has growth of growing up into other positions. It is very highly successful for you to move within the company. And on top of that, they also allow you to get that education, so you can move into different things, and they also give a lot of training. So that's what I would say is the enjoyment of my job with this company.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would have to say you gotta be resilient. That is something that I value because of the simple fact things change. Things aren't consistent. And you gotta be able to prepare and juggle. I learned that a lot with working at KCHA, to be honest. You gotta really, really be resilient. And you have to be able to love the passion that you're doing. You know, if you're in a job that you just don't like, you're not gonna give your 100% into it. That's another one I can say, is that you gotta be passionate. And you gotta be patient. I've learned that.