Pictured from left are Candy Carlson, new member, with Zontians Sylvia Stenander and Rosie Papalia.

At a recent November meeting of the Jamestown chapter of Zonta International, Candy Carlson was welcomed as the newest member.

Carlson was raised in Chautauqua County, graduated from Jamestown High School then received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Education from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.

She is the proud single mother of three adult children — 37-year-old Erica, 34-year-old Jenna, and 32-year-old Reid. After living in Ohio for 46 years, she returned to Western New York and her family home on the Sunset Bay shore of beautiful Chautauqua Lake.

Her professional life included teaching High School English in North Olmsted, Ohio for six years. Her desire to be self-employed and to work to empower and mentor women led her to become an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Within two years she was an Independent Sales Director driving a famous Mary Kay Pink Cadillac. During her 39 years with Mary Kay she earned the use of 21 free cars, 19 of them Cadillacs, and earned many beautiful gifts, including first class trips to Hawaii, Bermuda, New York City, England, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, and Beijing, China.

Candy attained the position of Independent Senior National Sales Director where her responsibilities included recruiting, training, inspiring and leading her sales force of over 1,500 women. In 2018, she retired from Mary Kay with a company pension and one last free Cadillac. For this Cadillac, instead of pink, she chose crystal white to symbolize the new passage of life she was entering.

“I’m very drawn to Zonta for its mission statement,” Carlson said. “I feel being a Zontian will present opportunities for me to continue to lift up women. The women I’ve met are intelligent, fun, warm, and welcoming. I’m honored to become a Zontian in the Jamestown Club.”