W. Toni (Parker) Carter ’75 has had an impressive 30-year career in public service, which already earned her an honorary doctorate from Carleton in 2022. The first African American ever to serve on a county board in Minnesota, Carter’s interest in public service was sparked during her first year at Carleton in 1971. She joined a busload of Carls on a trip to Mississippi, where they participated in a voter registration drive. That trip had a profound impact on her and was the foundation for her career in public service.
After a 15-year stint working in the private sector, Carter’s first ventures were to start an independent marketing and communications business and a nonprofit arts-in-education organization. She later excelled as a middle school teacher. She won election initially to the Saint Paul School Board, becoming its chair, and then ran to fill an open seat on the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, which she identified as the ideal next step to better serve children and families living in Ramsey County, the second-most populous county in Minnesota with an area that includes the state capital, St. Paul. Having a seat at the table where major decisions about policy, budgets and monetary allocations are made was critical to working to eliminate the economic and racial inequities that exist across government programs and results. For the next 18 years, Carter focused on producing positive outcomes for a better quality of life for all Ramsey County residents. Much of her work entailed efforts in criminal justice reform, including championing the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) in Ramsey County, reducing the number of youth held at the County Detention Center, and increasing system and community alternatives for lower-risk youth.
Having chaired the Board of Commissioners during 2020 and 2021— the most impactful years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd—Carter stepped away from elected service. She left behind an amazing legacy, and will be remembered for many community initiatives. But her roles in reducing youth incarceration, advancing the Green Line light rail project, and supporting local art and artists will be among the brightest of her highlights. Throughout all of her work and initiatives, Carter has displayed an experienced voice of leadership, compassion, and humanity. She has had a powerful impact in improving the quality of life for everyone living in her Minnesota community.