Carolyn Ragsdale was elected as a District 505 Parkland College trustee in April 2023. An active member of the Champaign-Urbana community, she has volunteered for Parkland College Health Profession service projects as well as at the Illinois Marathon, the Danville National Cemetery, and for service projects with Daily Bread Soup Kitchen.
Mrs. Ragsdale grew up in Champaign. She earned her Surgical Technology certificate from Parkland College, her bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University, and the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois Springfield.
Mrs. Ragsdale joined Parkland College's faculty in 1994, retiring from her position as Parkland's dean of Health Professions in July 2022. During her time at the college, she taught classes in the Surgical Technology program. She is a recipient of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Award for Teaching Excellence (NISOD) and is a past Fellow of the Association of Surgical Technologists (FAST).
Mrs. Ragsdale and her husband Michael have three children and seven grandchildren. Their children are Joseph, director of investments at the Boeing Company; Katie, a fourth-grade teacher in Chatham, Illinois; and Molly, a climatologist for the National Integrated Drought Information System.