Even though Carrie resides in Frankfort, KY, she calls herself a Carolina Girl. She spent most of her childhood and adulthood in various areas of North and South Carolina. (Her heart still belongs to the North Carolina mountains.) Carrie taught composition courses and developmental English courses for many years at several community colleges across the Carolinas. She also served as a Writing Center Coordinator. During her time at community colleges, Carrie witnessed students struggling to succeed, which made her even more impatient to help students to be successful. That impatience made Carrie realize she needed to leave the classroom to have a more profound impact on student success. While working on her EdD, she realized she had a knack for data analysis. Carrie understands that data can help amplify student voices, particularly those of marginalized communities. ​

When she isn’t analyzing data, Carrie is baking, singing Broadway songs off-key, and spoiling her diva cat Ellie. Carrie is also an active member of Cosplay for a Cause, an organization that uses cosplay to help bring smiles to children and help raise funds for children-centric organizations.