To talk to the Carroll Center for the Blind’s Board Chair, Carol Covell, is to listen to a woman whose energy, efforts and enthusiasm for the Carroll Center is contagious. Carol was initially connected to us through a friend who served on the Board of Directors and shared with her the incredible work being done at the Carroll Center. With an impressive career as Executive Vice President of Quality Care and Chief Nursing Officer at Mass Eye and Ear, an organization with connections to the Carroll Center, Carol’s interest was piqued.

Carol joined the board of directors in 2011 and has served as the board chair since 2015. She often shares a touching conversation she had with a client. When Carol asked this client if they had friends at the Carroll Center, the client responded,  “No, I have family.”  This sense of community and belonging is what drives Carol’s dedication. “The Carroll Center for the Blind helps people to become as independent as possible,” Carol explains. “You can see such a change in people from the time someone starts their program to when they finish. You really see what they are capable of doing.”

Under Carol’s leadership, she ensures that at least one client joins every board meeting to share their experiences. She is constantly striving to improve the client experience, emphasizing, “There might be one thing that they think we could do better, and that’s very important.”

When asked what she wants others to know about the Carroll Center, Carol passionately declares, “We perform miracles here. I would like everybody to know what the Carroll Center is doing on campus and in the community.” 

Because Carol believes so wholeheartedly in the Carroll Center’s mission and wants as many individuals to benefit from our life-changing services as possible, she was one of the first people to make a blended gift to the Generations Campaign. This gift included not only a multi-year outright gift to the Carroll Center’s annual fund, but also a future pledge to include the Carroll Center in her will. 

With this commitment, Carol is a member of both the Philanthropy Circle of Independence and the White Cane Legacy Circle. Her dedication to the Center’s mission and efforts to spread awareness about its impact have inspired those around her to follow in her footsteps and support the organization. Carol Covell truly embodies the spirit of the Carroll Center for the Blind, transforming lives and building a community where everyone feels like family.