Carole Smith Petro
Carole Smith Petro served UB for over 27 years as an administrator in many fields. She started out as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology, but later she was appointed Associate Dean of the Colleges in 1977. In 1982 she became the Assistant to the President of the University.
Three years later, she assumed the role of the President's Executive Assistant, ultimately becoming the Chief of Staff in the President's Office. Later, Petro went on to become Associate Vice President for University Communications, and Associate Vice President and General Manager of WBFO, then the University's highly acclaimed NPR affiliate.
Throughout her career, Petro's professional activity often focused on women's issues. She did numerous presentations on sex equity in higher education administration, and in ethical and legal issues on campus. Petro helped establish the Western New York Regional Committee for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education Administration from the American Council on Education's (ACE) Office of Women in Higher Education (OWHE).
In 1981, she won a grant from the SUNY Conferences in the Disciplines to do series on gender differences in math achievement. From 1984 to 1988, she served on and then chaired the State Education Commissioner's Advisory Council on Equal Opportunity for Women in Education. Petro was also a charter member of "The Women's Group," a professional women's group in Buffalo. In addition, Petro served as a member of both the Eric County Commission on the Status of Women's appointments for women committee, and American Association of University Administrators' committee on women's concerns. For her contributions to the advancement of women at UB, Petro received the Bernice Poss Award in 1990.
Petro was active in UB's administration in many other ways. In 1996, she was the Co-chair of the University's Sesquicentennial celebration. She also acted as a liaison to the President's Review Board on Promotions and Tenure, the Intercollegiate Athletic Board and the Research Advisory Council. Petro also served in 1993 as Chair of UB's State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) Campaign (part of United Way effort) and Co-Chair of the 2004 Presidential Inauguration Committee.
Affiliation(s): WBFO, University Communications
Record Group(s): 33