Ivanova is a Lieutenant that is shifting to captain. Burkley is a fresh lieutenant. I'd say the reason why Burkley advanced quite quickly is due to the wet work he performed. Also, there's Captain Mehrzad that is another choice. While Mehrzad is the good cop for Adversary Inside, Ivanova is the bad cop. Also, the dragon is down, but not out. The paranormals are just trying to heal it and nurse it back to health while it is down. 

One of Center's main strategies: Loot a burning house or kick them when they're down.