Carole Hughes is executive director for planning and staff development for the Division of Student Affairs at Boston College.

Previous positions that Dr. Hughes has held at Boston College include project coordinator for the Boston College Campus Master Plan, associate dean and assistant dean for student development, director of First Year Programs, and University harassment counselor. Dr. Hughes earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, a master's degree in educational policy from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in education from Boston College. Her doctoral dissertation was titled "College Students, Loneliness and Use of the Internet." She also completed the Leadership for Change Program in the Boston College Carroll School of Management. Dr. Hughes has held student affairs positions at UMass Boston and Boston University, where her administrative duties included orientation, residence life, financial management, student activities, and Greek Life.

Dr. Hughes is a co-editor/contributor of Roads Taken: Women in Student Affairs at Mid-Career (Stylus Publishing). Her research interests include the social implications of new technologies, women and work, and mid-management career development issues. Dr. Hughes is active in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), presenting frequently at regional and national meetings.