Candy Carson

Mrs. Candy Carson is an author, speaker, philanthropist and musician. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Candy grew up in a lower-middle-class family that stressed strong values and hard work. Her parents, a teacher/church organist and automobile factory worker, taught her from an early age to always do her best. That mindset led Candy from the Detroit area to Yale University on a scholarship that afforded her the opportunity to study music and psychology. She played first violin with the Yale Bach Society as well as the Yale Symphony. Since college she has performed with a number of ensembles including the Ann Arbor Symphony, Palm Beach Atlantic University Symphony, the Nedlands Symphony in West Australia, and more recently the Nashville Praise Symphony and the McLean Symphony Orchestra in Virginia.

While in college, Candy met her future husband, Ben. When she moved back to Michigan after graduation, the two married.

Dr. Carson’s residency program at Johns Hopkins brought the couple to Baltimore. Although Candy’s days were spent working in the chemistry department, at night she earned her master’s degree in business at Johns Hopkins. Over time, Candy worked in various business capacities and continued to share her love of music by playing, singing, conducting and arranging. She also served on boards such as Johns Hopkins University’s Shriver Concert Series Board, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Board and the Museum of the Bible’s Women’s Advisory Board.

Candy’s passion, however, lies first and foremost in fostering a better future for America’s children. That culminated in the co-founding, with her husband Ben, of the Carson Scholars Fund 30 years ago. The nonprofit organization seeks to prepare the next generation for leadership and success in life by promoting and encouraging reading and excellence in education.

Candy has co-written six books with her husband. In 2016, her first solo book, A Doctor in the House, was published. In it, Candy shares many personal stories that had never been told before.

Candy and Ben have three sons and daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren.