After graduating from Avery County High School in Newland, North Carolina, Carrie attended Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. She earned her B.S. Degree in Recreation Administration from Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, North Carolina. Upon graduation, Carrie worked as an Admissions Counselors at Mars Hill and then Lees-McRae and recruited graduating high school students from North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.

Carrie began her work as a fundraising professional in the non-profit field at the American Heart Association in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; West Hartford, Connecticut and then Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1995, Carrie moved to Mauldin, South Carolina and worked at the United Way of Greenville County.

Before joining Project Hope Foundation, Carrie was the Development Director at the YMCA Judson Community Center.