Carole earned her doctoral degree from UB's Graduate School of Education, where she served as an adjunct faculty member for several years, and holds a Certificate from the Institute for Educational Management from Harvard University. She received her undergraduate degree (cum laude) in Political Science from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

She has served on and chaired various university committees, including Co-Chair of the Presidential Inaugerations (13th & 14th Presidents), Co-Chair of the University's Sesquicentennial (1996), and Chair of UB's State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) Campaign---part of the United Way effort. In that latter role, she served on the United Way Community Board. She represented the University on the Public Affairs Council of the Association of American Universities for more than a decade. Active for many years in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, she served on their regional conference planning committees as well.

In 1978, Carole was selected by UB to attend the American Council on Education Women's Leadership Forum, and subsequently was a co-founder of the Regional Committee of the American Council of Education/National Identitification Program (ACE/NIP), now called the Women's Leadership Forum. She also served on the Statwide Planning Committee of ACE/NIP for more than a decade. She received the Bernice Poss Memorial Award from the Regional Committee in 1990.

She was appointed by the New York State Commissioner of Education to the Commission on the Status of Women in Education, and chaired that Commission for four years during the 1980s. In 1995, she was appointed by the County Executive to serve on the Erie County Commissin on the Status of Women, and subsequently served as Vice Chair. Currently, she is President of the Support Fund of the Commission, an organization that raises money to support the work of the Commission. She was a recipient of the Erie County Commission's Service Award in 2003, and of a Distinguished Alumni Award (Cornerstone Award in Education) from Chatham College in 2002. The University at Buffalo nominated Carole to receive a Leadership Award from the YWCA.

Carole is a former President and member of the Board of Directors of WorldConnect.