LWVAC is proud to have several Life Members--those who have been League members for 50 consecutive years!  We've set out to interview them all.  Here we talk with Carole Zegel.

Carole grew up in Riverton, Connecticut, in the Berkshire foothills. She met her husband Bill in high school—he was her escort in the Laurel City Festival pageant. Carole earned a BS in Education from Central Connecticut State University while Bill pursued a doctorate in Chemical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. They married and moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia, then St. Louis, before settling in Gainesville in 1975 with their two children.

Carole volunteered wherever they lived, using her teaching background in both the LWV and the Junior League. Through the Junior League, she learned to lead teams and manage projects, developing strong organizational skills.

Working for Child Victims

In Gainesville, Carole found kindred spirits in the League of Women Voters, collaborating with Jane Hiers and Deanye Overman on juvenile justice reform. Carole says the League “really honed my ability to confidently advocate.”

She was a founder of Florida’s Guardian ad Litem program in 1979 and the first person appointed as a Guardian ad Litem in the state. She later led the program in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, managing over 300 people representing more than 1,000 abused and neglected children.

In 1994, Carole became the first Deputy Court Administrator of Family Court in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, overseeing Guardian ad Litem, Teen Court, Juvenile Justice Alternative Sanctions, Project Payback, and Family Law Self Help.

In 1998, State Attorney Rod Smith named Carole Executive Director, giving her administrative oversight of all six county offices until her retirement in 2009.

Carole also served on the board of the PACE Center for Girls and chaired the statewide PACE, Inc. Board of Trustees, helping to develop a plan for national growth. A room in the Gainesville PACE Center is named in her honor.

She has been recognized by many organizations at the local, state, and national levels, including:

• Santa Fe College Woman of Distinction
• Director’s Choice Award from Florida Guardian ad Litem Directors
• Able Trust Child Advocate of the Year
• Children’s Home Society Child Advocate Award for North Central Florida
• Alachua County Child Advocacy Center Child Advocate Award
• Girl Scouts of Gateway Council Women Who Make a Difference

Carole remains active locally and will become Chair of the UF Performing Arts Center Leadership Council this year.

Randy Batista's Portrait of Carole

Today's Landscape

Carole is concerned about two trends: fewer volunteers for Guardian ad Litem, and a shrinking number of state welfare workers, both reducing support for abused children. She also worries that immigration raids will break up families and put more children into custody.

Advice for League Members

Support and participate in community organizations like the LWV using your special talents.