A native of Somerset, N.J., Carin completed high school in Santiago, Chile when her family moved there. After graduating cum laude with a BA in economics from Bryn Mawr College, Carin was an assistant economist at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. She then returned to school and earned a PhD in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008.

Carin, whose mother was a teacher, discovered in graduate school that she enjoyed the time she spent teaching more than she enjoyed the primary research that is the basis of a career in academia. “I’ve always enjoyed learning and reading about new things, thinking about different cultures and peoples,” she said. “I like sharing these ideas with others; I don’t really think of myself as someone who ‘teaches.’ It’s more like ‘guiding’ students to a greater understanding of past cultures and of previous political institutions, and to being better writers and more understanding readers.”

Carin taught at Villanova and the University of Pennsylvania while completing her dissertation and then made a second career-changing decision to teach at the secondary school level. She liked Baylor right away when she interviewed, and she continues to appreciate what makes it unique.“In many private schools, there is an ethos of tradition and academic excellence, but at Baylor those two things are combined with a genuine openness to new ideas and new approaches to learning. We are always trying to find new ways to succeed and, most importantly, to help the kids succeed.”

Carin has two sons, Charlie '23 and William. She enjoys reading, knitting, swimming, hiking, and getting students excited about history.

Appointed 2008

Written by Rachel Schulson, 2010