Carol Rowell Council is the co-founder of the women's studies department at San Diego State University, the first women’s studies program in the United States, in 1969.
Council holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from San Diego State University (SDSU), and a master's degree in art history, from Rosary College's Villa Schifanoia campus, Florence, Italy.
There, she helped establish their domestic violence shelter, feminist free university, rape crisis center, 24-hour hotline, and special women’s programs, including arts festivals, lectures, poetry readings, performances and exhibits.
She later worked as development director and consultant to numerous San Diego nonprofit organizations, served as an equal opportunity commissioner for San Diego, and chaired the "Feminist Action Coalition".
[3] She lives in San Diego with her husband, Trevor Black, and her son, Tim.