Early life Carol Baker Tharp was born in
Charleston,
South Carolina, and later grew up in
Charlotte, North Carolina. In the early 1970s, she received her bachelor's degree from
Wake Forest University. In 1986, she and her husband, Michael, moved to
Los Angeles, California, settling in
Eagle Rock.
Managing and directing Tharp earned a
Ph.D in public policy and ethics from
Claremont Graduate University in 2003. After receiving her PhD, she spent four years at the
University of Southern California School of Politics, Planning and Development as the deputy director of the Civic Engagement Initiative. At USC, Carol Baker Tharp managed a project to map neighborhood involvement throughout the region. Before becoming the deputy director of the Civic Engagement Initiative in January 2004, she was the executive director of
Coro in
Southern California and was Community Relations director for
Eugene, Oregon. The third general manager position of the Department of Neighborhood empowerment was filled in for an interim chief for about eleven months when Los Angeles mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa offered the position to her. During her time as Deputy Director at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development she worked with associate dean Rich Callahan to develop leadership programs and executive education programs. She also taught an ethics class for undergraduates. Upon being hired as General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, Baker Tharp said that she intended to focus on getting councils to achieve results in their neighborhoods. ==References==