Carolyn Woolf with her husband, and daughters, first grader Shyla and Pre-Ker Juniper.
Carolyn Woolf started her new job as Country Day’s director of advancement on July 1. Click to read about Jon Cormier, former director of advancement, moving to Hanover, New Hampshire.
Q: What job did you work at before coming to Country Day?
A: I worked at La Jolla Country Day School as the annual fund manager.
Q: Why did you decide to leave?
A: My husband and I had both been looking at coming to Sacramento – he’s an attorney, so he’d been looking at various options up here – and from the very first phone call I had with Sacramento Country Day School, I was just blown away by the warmth of the community and the professional faculty and staff. The opportunity was really exciting for me.
Q: What are you looking forward to most?
A: Honestly, I’m just so excited for the year to start and for the chance to get to know the students and parents. Already the school feels really special, and I can’t even imagine how it will feel once all the kids come back together.
Q: What plans do you have for yourself at Country Day?
A: My first priority is to really get to know the community. As the director of advancement, it’s such an honor to join the community because I see fundraising as a process of connecting people with the causes that they love. So it’s a very personal, intimate process to be part of, and I take such joy in that. I really see that the development team – together with the leadership team here and with (new head of school) Lee (Thomsen) and with the community – is able to advance the mission of the school, and I hope that I can do that effectively. I’m excited to be part of that process!
Q: What is one goal you want to achieve at Country Day?
A: I would love that a year from now I would know the majority of the Country Day families by name and established great relationships.
Carolyn Woolf with her daughters, Pre-Ker Juniper and first grader Shyla, and husband on vacation at Beacon Hill Park, Victoria B.C, Canada last spring.
Q: Do you have children?
A: We have two girls that will be joining Country Day in the fall. My oldest is at camp right now, Shyla – my six-year-old – and she’ll be going into first grade. Juniper is going into Pre-K.
Q: When did your family move to Sacramento?
A: We just moved 11 days ago, and I started the day after we arrived. It’s been a whirlwind of an experience! We are loving our new East Sac neighborhood and enjoying the local restaurants and breweries.
Q: What will you miss most about your old home?
A: We lived in San Diego, so we really got to enjoy the ocean, taking the kids to the beach, and going boogie-boarding with the kids. We also lived right on the border, so that was really fun. We could just cross the border and go into Mexico for the weekend.
My husband and I aren’t originally from San Diego – he’s from Maui, and I’m from Canada – and we actually met and got married in Spain, so we love international travel. I think we’ll miss being right on the edge of an international border, but we’re excited because Sacramento is a small town with a big-city heart.
Carolyn Woolf, director of advancement said her primary goal is to get in touch and build relationships with SCDS families.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I’m an outdoor enthusiast; I love hiking, fishing, camping, exploring, anything that gets me outside. I also love to cook when I have time, but I know there are great restaurants here in Sacramento, so maybe I won’t have to cook all the time!
Q: What type of food do you like to cook?
A: I love Indian, Thai and Mexican food. I’m not particularly authentic in my methods, but most of my favorite dishes either incorporate a curry or are garnished with fresh cilantro and lime.
Q: Do you have any favorite sports teams?
A: You know, I’m not really a sports buff, but I will always have to support the Vancouver Canucks.
Q: Do you have any hidden talents?
A: Does multitasking count? I do that fairly well!
—By Sahej Claire
