MBA Student Caroline Smith ’25 Adds an Additional Role: Serving as City Alder

Smith was one of 30 alders sworn into office by U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery during a ceremony in the Wilbur Cross High School auditorium. Smith is representing Ward 9, an area that bridges parts of the city’s East Rock and Fair Haven neighborhoods.

Smith, who grew up in Kentucky, fell in love with New Haven while a Yale undergraduate. “I was drawn to the city’s history of advocacy, spirit of grassroots entrepreneurship, and community of neighbors,” she said.

Smith has served as a Yale President’s Public Service Fellow, working in the New Haven mayor’s office. She has also mentored New Haven Academy students and organized student volunteers to shovel snow from neighborhood sidewalks.

After graduating from Yale College, Smith and fellow alumna Margaret Lee ’14 cofounded Collab New Haven, a startup accelerator that provides resources and guidance to New Haven entrepreneurs. A major goal is to foster more inclusive economic development in the city.

“New Haven has a strong, vibrant entrepreneurial culture, and Collab continues to support hundreds of entrepreneurs in neighborhoods across the city every year,” Smith said.

Running for alder, Smith campaigned extensively, knocking on hundreds of doors and hosting backyard gatherings and community events. Her Yale SOM classmates helped.

“My learning team and cohort members were a tremendous source of encouragement,” she said, “coming along to knock on doors, brainstorming ideas about policy and community engagement, and helping with my Election Day party.”

Smith is pursuing her MBA to prepare for an ongoing career as a public steward in New Haven, whether in local or state government or in direct advocacy.

“I can imagine no more fitting school, with its core mission of serving business and society, than the Yale School of Management,” she said. “Yale SOM is providing me a community of thoughtful peers and a rigorous curriculum to strengthen my quantitative skills, all while letting me stay in the city that I’m proud to call home.”

At SOM, Smith said she has learned through classroom opportunities to develop her skill sets, as well as through project-based professional experiences.

“I’ve benefited both from practical, quantitative classes like Statistics with Professor Katja Seim, and from classes that allowed me to wrestle with ideas, like State and Society with Professor Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak and Professor Ian Shapiro,” she said.

“This semester I’m thrilled to be in Professor Kate Cooney’s Inclusive Economic Development Lab, where we will have the opportunity to work directly on local and statewide projects.”

Outside the classroom, Smith is a Yale Public Impact Fellow. “I’m working with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s Office on rebuilding the state worker pipeline program to create pathways for Connecticut students to find careers in the public sector,” she said.

Smith has also founded New Haven Bike Month and been elected chair of the Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team. She called choosing to settle in New Haven one of the most important decisions in her life.

“As an alder, I’m excited to bring people together to advocate for our ward and address citywide challenges,” she said. “I believe we can move toward a future where New Haven is a model of a resilient local economy, a leader in reducing emissions and creating green jobs, and a welcoming city for everyone.”

Caroline Smith is a recipient of the Robert A. Lawrence ’47 BA and Charles D. Ellis ’59 BA Scholarship at the Yale School of Management (2023-2024)