Meet Carter

Board of Directors, Secretary

“The most powerful experiences in my life have been the ones that bring tears to my eyes; always involving making a connection with someone,” said Carter Bradshaw, a Board member at CCS since 2018, and current Secretary. She was reflecting on the impact of getting to know a young man with intellectual disabilities while serving as a Best Buddies volunteer.

“I recognized his desire simply for connection with others, and felt frustrated at the lack of voice, and understanding, and the exclusion he faced in his life. By understanding the way he saw the world, my own perspectives shifted to broaden my interpretation of our society in many ways.”

Carter learned of CCS while serving as a mentor in the ThinkCollege program at UVM. She said her interest in being a mentor stemmed from both her experiences with Best Buddies and from growing up closely with a cousin with developmental disabilities. It also helped lead her to a summer internship at CCS with Development Coordinator Mike Reilly. She had an opportunity to conduct interviews for the Annual Report. 

“Centering myself in the community and learning more about CCS – deep connections and hearing people’s personal stories about CCS really lit me up and made me feel so close to the people I was working with. I realized I wanted to always be in conversation with people.”

In addition to her role as Secretary, Carter chairs the Board’s Strategic Planning Committee, and guided development of the current strategic plan. She said her deep belief in CCS’ mission and its impact in the community, as well as a personal commitment to building equitable communities, make it a good fit. “CCS has been such a wonderful family to be a part of!”

Looking forward to completing her master’s degree in social work this May, Carter said, “I’ve realized that all of this work with CCS led to me wanting to be in the social work field, and will serve me well in a career centered around working with children and families to support their mental health and wellbeing. I really think of CCS as a jumping off point for where I want to go and the impact I want to have on people and in the world – and a continual family to me always.”