Dr. Gail Carberry honored as 2025 Distinguished Alumna and commencement speaker

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Dr. Gail E. Carberry ’77 exemplifies the transformative power of a community college education.

As a Springfield Technical Community College student, she struggled with dyslexia and faced economic challenges, but found the support she needed to succeed. She earned her certificate in administrative bookkeeping from STCC and soared to great heights in the decades that followed.

Carberry went on to serve as a college president, making a lasting impact on higher education and the communities she served. Now, 50 years after she first walked through the doors of STCC, she returns to her alma mater as the 2025 Commencement Speaker and Distinguished Alumna. The Commencement ceremony and awarding of the Distinguished alumna honor will be held May 29 at the MassMutual Center.

STCC served as a launching pad for Carberry’s career. She shined in leadership roles at STCC, where she worked for 28 years. Carberry finished her career as president of Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) in Worcester.

“I think, in a lot of ways, I’m very much a typical STCC graduate,” Dr. Carberry said. “I was an older student, coming from very moderate means. I’m dyslexic. Reaching this point in my life – retiring as a college president and now being honored by my alma mater – is very meaningful to me because I am so passionate about the community college mission, having experienced it myself.”

After earning a degree in early childhood education from Worcester State University, she and her husband, Donald H. Carberry, a Vietnam War veteran, struggled to find stable employment. “We were living in subsidized housing with two small kids, trying to get on our feet after an unpopular war,” she recalled. “Teachers were being laid off, and I needed to reschool.”

It was at STCC that Carberry found her confidence. “I had gone through public school struggling, and when I got to STCC, that flipped,” she said. “People believed in me, and I began to believe in myself.”

I’ve received many awards over the years... I have to say that I'm over the moon about this award from STCC. It's very meaningful, because this is what I consider to be my alma mater. STCC transformed my life. Dr. Gail E. Carberry, STCC alumna, retired community college president

She expressed heartfelt appreciation to her husband for his support.

“I couldn’t have done any of it without Don,” she said. “For 55 years, he’s been my rock, always there with love, strength and unwavering support for our family.”

Early in her career at STCC, Carberry was a grant writer – a role that would define much of her early success. She eventually rose to be the Director of Grants and Institutional Development, the Assistant Dean of Development and completed her career at STCC as the Vice President of Grants and Development, a role she held for over 15 years.

While Carberry is proud of her ability to write successful grants, she saw herself as more than that.

“Yes, I was a grant writer, but I was also a change agent,” she said.

In describing what is formally known as the STCC Assistance Corporation, she said, “I chased the visionaries, and we wrote visionary projects. We put the Technology Park [located across from the STCC campus] in place. We put a telecommunications center and the Enterprise Center in place. We built computer labs. We built a whole range of programs and services.” 

Her ability to secure funding was remarkable. While most community colleges saw a 50 percent success rate in grant applications, STCC’s rate under her leadership was about 80 percent. “By the time I left STCC, we were running about $10 million a year in grant money through the business office,” she said. “In community colleges, the margin for excellence are the extra funds that can be brought in through grant writing.”

Despite her leadership and accomplishments, Dr. Carberry never initially aspired to be a college president. “I was raising a child with a progressive disability and needed flexibility,” she said. But when President Andrew M. Scibelli retired in 2004, many urged her to pursue that route.

“You begin to envision how you would lead a first-class community college, and I had a vision,” she said. Not long after, she pursued and was offered the presidency at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, her hometown. “The angels opened the door to that presidency, and I applied.”

During her tenure at QCC, Carberry continued her legacy of innovation, securing funding and expanding educational access. “I was able to build a health sciences and workforce development building in downtown Worcester without additional state funds,” she said. “We created a campus in Southbridge, and 1,300 students poured through the doors in the first year.”

Throughout her career, Carberry worked to expand access to education for underserved populations. At STCC, she played a role in launching disability services, a childcare center and a women’s center. “I was trying to push STCC into the community to reach into the lives of people, to bring them to the college and to enable some of the colleges programs to move into the community,” she said. “The transformation of lives has always been key to me, and the projects that transform the lives are the ones I'm most proud of.”

Her work in Worcester followed a similar trajectory. “My legacy is in the 10,000 students who graduated from QCC on my watch,” she said. “Nobody does it alone. I had a good team of people at both campuses working with me, and if I didn’t have them, I found them. That’s how you do it.”

Now retired and enjoying hobbies and time with her family, Carberry reflects on the journey that brought her back to STCC as a Distinguished Alumna. “I’ve received many awards over the years – state, federal, local. I have to say that I'm over the moon about this award from STCC. It's very meaningful, because this is what I consider to be my alma mater. STCC transformed my life.”

She describes the honor in a way that reflects her sense of humor and humility: “It’s like when you put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. The timer goes off, and just when you’re about to open the door, there’s one more pop. That’s this award. The last kernel to pop.”

As far as her family and legacy, there are other lasting reminders on the STCC campus. The STCC art gallery is named after Dr. Carberry’s late daughter, Amy H. Carberry, who attended STCC. Dr. Carberry and her husband have two other children, Dr. Alison D. and Donald E. Carberry, an STCC graduate.

Dr. John B. Cook, STCC’s president who overlapped in 2016 as a colleague with Gail in her final year at QCC, noted the remarkable experience:

“There is a particular legacy from STCC administrators who leave an indelible mark on public higher education in Massachusetts.  Sitting with Gail my first year leading STCC was surreal in that I knew how much of herself she had poured into not one, but two community colleges.  Her leadership, and candidly, her humanity as a college administrator championing access and opportunity, was remarkable.”

Her former colleagues at STCC recall Carberry as a dynamic leader with an exceptional ability to bring people together. Dr. Andrew M. Scibelli, STCC president emeritus, worked alongside Dr. Carberry for two decades and remembers her extraordinary leadership skills.

“She just has a way with people, to engage them and to get them involved in whatever it is that she's trying to do for the college,” Scibelli said. “She was responsible for about $10 million a year in grants for the college – one of the best grant writers in the country.

Scibelli said Carberry knew how to navigate the bureaucracy and present proposals in a way that placed them at the top of funding lists.

Dr. Lucie Lewis, retired director of institutional research at STCC, collaborated with Dr. Carberry on numerous grant projects. “Gail’s impact on the college was astronomical because of the money she made available through her grant development,” Lewis said. “She was amazing, and the funds she raised transformed the institution, making it more valuable to students and the communities it served. She was a force of nature.”

Joan Gravel, retired director of marketing and communications at STCC, credits Carberry with shaping her career. “Gail changed my professional life, which in turn benefited my children’s lives. I am eternally grateful,” Gravel said. “She served as a mentor to countless women climbing the higher education career ladder. Her far-reaching vision made her a once-in-a-lifetime leader in higher ed.”

Carberry’s tenure at STCC and beyond left an indelible mark. Barbara Wurtzel, retired dean of library services, recalled her tireless work ethic. “She was indefatigable, casting a wide and deep net for funding,” Wurtzel said. “She was incredibly creative and brilliant. Her door was always open, and she encouraged faculty to bring ideas she could develop into possibilities.”

“She is a perfect example of what a community college can do for people,” Scibelli said. “She had a tough time early in life but found her path at STCC, and once she did, there was no stopping her.”

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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