Program Assistant
Ext. 152 | ccabaniss@aavmc.org
Caryn’s experience in the realm of project organization, team management and C-Suite executive support in higher education, non-profit and corporate arenas is expansive. Before entering the corporate world, she served as Director of Admissions at Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work and then as a House Director in the Office of Residence Life at Wellesley College where she was able to affect changes in policy and processes. Her time as Assistant Dean of Students at the Dana Hall School further fueled her desire delve deeper into the development and character building of young women and girls. Her passion for the all-girls educational experience stems from her middle and high school experience at the Holton Arms School in Bethesda and upon returning to the Washington, DC area she continued to promote the value of such an experience at the Madeira School for Girls in McLean, Virginia, as the Assistant Director of Admissions. She was actively recruited and eventually accepted her first of many positions as an executive assistant and found that she could serve as a cultural change agent while keeping some of the industry’s top executives organized. Caryn’s journey eventually brought her back to the world of higher education and she landed at her alma mater, Howard University, where she most recently served as the Director of Student Services for the College of Engineering and Architecture.
Caryn earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the illustrious Howard University in Washington, DC. She is also a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the Potomac Chapter of The Girlfriends, Incorporated, and of the Butterflies of DC. Caryn values these lifelong friendships and connections and is grateful for the opportunity to engage in cultural and volunteer opportunities through these historic organizations.
As an eighth generation Washingtonian, Caryn’s roots are firmly planted in the DC area and, after her brief time living and raising her three older children in Massachusetts, she gladly returned to the area she calls home. She is married, raising her granddaughter and is also the proud dog mom of two tri-colored Welsh Pembrooke Corgis named Finnegan (Finn) and Jack Mudd who keep the family active and “herded” to the best of their abilities. She enjoys traveling, cooking, collecting antique silver, china, and crystal glassware.
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