Alumni Spotlight: Carol Wren

Carol Wren
M.S. Vocational Education '09
Hometown: Dillingham, Alaska
Fun Fact: Loves to try crafts and recipes she finds on Pinterest

If her life were a marathon, Carol Wren would be at the front of the pack. She'd easily power through rocky terrain overcoming every challenge that presented itself before the finish line.

This UAA alumna is a successful businesswoman who has weathered some troubling times. But to understand Carol's present success, it's important to learn about the past that made her who she is today.

There are many things that motivate Carol: personal perseverance, family and the support of the rural Alaska communities she was raised in. But mostly, her life is shaped by her Inupiaq heritage.

Carol was adopted as a baby, raised by five sets of parents and lived with two foster families throughout her childhood in Kotzebue and Dillingham. "It literally took a village to raise me," she said.

It's the multi-faceted support that keeps Carol striving for success and today, she's at the top of her game. For 13 years, Carol has worked for the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) building her reputation as an innovative and effective leader who's constantly advancing, changing titles and tackling more responsibility.

Over the past decade, Carol's been instrumental in establishing CITC as the primary workforce development, employment and training center for Alaska Native people in Anchorage, Alaska's largest Native community.

Serving as senior director of programs, Carol still proves to be an unstoppable force adding more accomplishments to a long, well-established resume.

Last year, she was one of the Alaska Journal of Commerce's "Top Forty Under 40" awardees and received one of her highest recognitions to date as the keynote speaker at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention. "It was an honor to speak at the AFN convention. It will definitely be one of the highlights of my life," Carol said.

As the keynote, Carol opened her address in four languages-Inupiaq, Yupik, Dena'ina and English-representing the diversity of her identity from childhood to now.

"My childhood was filled with involvement in the community. I was in athletics and church youth groups learning from everyone in the community. But I got a lot of my strength by watching my older sister, who raised me," she said.

Carol's sister, Bea Peterson, is the primary reason she chose her current career path, helping her community. "As a rural Alaskan, community support is crucial in the livelihood of the community members. Watching my sister in action as a mental health professional, I was able to really see how impactful someone can be. It developed my passion for helping those in need."

Though Carol, who holds a B.A. in social work from Pacific Lutheran University, was already successfully advancing at CITC, she decided to return to school. "I wanted to learn more ways to better help job seekers and families I was providing services to in my work," she said. With the encouragement of a mentor at CITC, Carol began a master's degree in vocational education at UAA.

This time around, Carol said her graduate coursework was much more applicable to the real world since she was already employed at CITC. "A lot of the projects we did in class, I applied in my everyday life and utilized them professionally. What I learned at UAA was relevant and hands-on."

Today her life has come full circle. Carol works alongside her sister at CITC and both do their part working for a better future for Alaska Natives.

Her professional success mirrors her personal life. Carol and her husband Eric, also a UAA alumnus (B.B.A. '05), have two children who she's teaching to speak the Inupiaq language. In January, she finished her first marathon in Maui, Hawaii, and stays heavily involved in the community outside of her work at CITC.

Her community work includes mentoring with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, serving on the board of Facing Foster Care in Alaska, the Alaska Institute of Technology and the Alaska Native Coalition on Employment and Training. She's also on the 21st Century Conservation Service Corp. Advisory Committee, the Municipality of Anchorage's Public Transit Advisory Board and the Statewide Public Transit Advisory Board.

And she has no plans to stop anytime soon. "It's important to stay involved in Alaska and give back. It keeps me busy, but it's just a part of who I am."