From Uncertainty to Trustee

Caroline Barry ’16 was not even sure she wanted to attend Colby-Sawyer. Her heart was set on going to another school earlier in her college search. After touring campus, however, Barry fell in love with everything about CSC and had a change of heart. “As we walked along the campus during my tour, my student tour guide was greeted by everyone who passed by,” Barry said. “From students to faculty to staff, everyone was truly a part of this community. Even now I feel this holds true: once a Charger, always a Charger.” So, when Barry received the call to ask her to become a Winston-Black Trustee on the Colby-Sawyer Board of Trustees, she eagerly accepted.

As a student, Barry was very involved on campus. “During my time at CSC, I was involved in a lot of really amazing programs,” she said. “I always recommended to anyone in the college search to get involved in any organizations you’d be interested in or even take the opportunity to start one. I was very proud to be a student tour guide/student ambassador during the entirety of my time at CSC. This was an awesome experience because I loved the people I worked with (staff and students) and had the opportunity to grow new skills for my marketing/communications career path.”

Since graduation, Barry has carved her way in the marketing field. Her first position was with American Student Assistance (ASA), where she had interned as a student. She went on to positions with TechTarget and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Later, as a marketing manager at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, Barry worked on many programs, including health communication. This work inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare, and today she is the marketing and communications manager at Mass General Brigham Innovation. “The key responsibilities for my role are creating, managing and executing strategic marketing campaigns for the Mass General Brigham Innovation team and the World Medical Innovation Forum, … an annual conference that brings together leaders in healthcare and investment worlds to present findings and research for the improvement of the future of patient care,” Barry said.

Barry likes making a difference in her job. “Now that I work at Mass General Brigham, I am so interested in the enhancement of patient care,” she said. “The Innovation team that I work with is in the front lines of the researchers and scientists making game-changing advancements for the healthcare world. It feels really special to be a part of that in a health communication standpoint. We are relaying the message that here, we’re changing people’s lives.”

Barry hopes to make a difference at her alma mater as well. She is excited to join the Board of Trustees in July. “I am really excited to be a part of this group,” she said. “I join a very inspiring group of individuals; some I’ve known for years, and some I look forward to meeting. I am truly honored to have even been in the running for this position. It’s honestly been a dream of mine since I graduated. I really hope to work with this group on student life, admissions and, overall, the future of CSC.”