Caroline Nobo ’07 to lead Weissman Center
Caroline Nobo ’07 will return to Mount Holyoke as director of the Weissman Center for Leadership, bringing more than 15 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit leadership and public service.
Mount Holyoke College has appointed Caroline Nobo ’07 director of the Weissman Center for Leadership. Nobo returns to Mount Holyoke after more than 15 years of leadership experience spanning higher education, nonprofit organizations and social justice initiatives.
Nobo most recently served as executive director and research scholar in law at Yale Law School, where she led a university-wide center bringing together more than 40 faculty members, scholars, staff and students across 19 disciplines and three schools. Her work has included strategic planning, program development, student mentorship, research, partnerships and public programming.
At Yale, Nobo also launched the Justice Fellows program for undergraduate students interested in justice-focused careers. The program combines internships, mentoring and coursework to help students explore pathways into the field.
Earlier in her career, Nobo was part of the founding team at Measures for Justice, a nonprofit organization focused on criminal justice data and transparency, where she developed partnerships and helped guide the organization’s growth. She previously worked at Abt Associates on research related to crime, drugs and justice.
For Nobo, the appointment is also a return to the institution that helped shape her own path. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mount Holyoke in 2007 and later earned a master’s degree in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her experience at Mount Holyoke, along with navigating higher education without inherited professional networks or family mentorship, has informed her commitment to strengthening support for students as they develop their own paths to leadership, public service and meaningful work.
“Mount Holyoke changed my life,” Nobo said. “It gave me the confidence to imagine a future I could not yet see for myself. I’m thrilled to return ‘MoHome’ and help create that same sense of possibility for the next generation. Every student should have access to mentors who believe in them, networks that open doors and opportunities that allow them to discover just how far their ambitions can take them. I’m honored to help make that promise a reality in the same place where my big dreams started.”
As director, Nobo will lead a center dedicated to helping Mount Holyoke students develop their capacity for leadership, recognize and foster leadership in others and prepare for meaningful work in public service. The Weissman Center for Leadership also creates opportunities for students to connect their academic experiences with communities and organizations on and beyond campus.
Founded with the vision and support of Harriet and Paul Weissman, the center’s programs include Community-Based Learning (CBL), which connects academic learning with community engagement; Leadership and Public Service (LAPS); and Speaking, Arguing and Writing (SAW), which supports students in developing communication skills.
Nobo will begin her role as director of the Weissman Center for Leadership on November 1.
