Carole was born in Chicago and grew up in Dolton, Illinois, one of Chicago’s south suburbs. Carole and her two brothers were raised by her father Walter, a butcher and then retail salesman, and her mother Joan, a homemaker, in a modest brick bungalow.

After graduating from high school in 1979, Carole attended the University of Illinois at Urbana, where she worked to pay her own way through school. In 1983, she received a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. In 1984, Carole attended the University of Illinois at Springfield where she received a master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting.

Professional Experience

After graduation, Carole held positions including news director at a public radio station, press secretary with the Illinois State Senate Democratic staff, and media coordinator with the National Safety Council.

Through her involvement with the legislative process, Carole became interested in public policy and knew that her ultimate desire was to serve the public. She earned her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1991, where she had the honor of serving as the editor-in-chief of the Law Review. The following year, she clerked for a federal judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Currently, Carole is a partner with a major law firm in Chicago.

Community Service

In 2008, Carole traveled to the now earthquake-ravaged Haiti on an optical mission with members of her Naperville church, St. Thomas the Apostle. This is what she wrote upon her return:

"A few weeks ago, I traveled to Haiti on a "Vision of Mission." Although the purpose of our mission was to provide eyeglasses to people who have difficulty seeing, our eyes were opened as well. These people carry a heavy burden in their everyday life -- from the weight of the baskets they must carry on their heads to bring water to their shacks, to the weight of wondering if they will get enough to eat that day. Although they want to improve their plight, they do not dare take issue with the "government" that has left them to their own devices"

"The situation in Haiti has helped me to realize how fortunate I am to be in this country. If we do not like what our officials are doing, we have the freedom to complain about it. The people in developing countries like Haiti do not. A couple days after I left the country, a woman I met during my visit attended a meeting held by a government official. She said something the official did not like and was savagely beaten by that government official. I realize that our country is not perfect. But as I reflect on the powerless of people in other countries who lack not only the basic necessities of life, but also the fundamental human right to publicly speak one’s mind, I appreciate even more our freedom to comment on our nation’s imperfections and flaws, to place our elected officials under scrutiny, and to have a role in our own governance."

Carole currently serves on the Board of Directors of Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide food to developing countries.