Carolyn Zalenski was raised in Bayside, Queens, New York, and later lived on eastern Long Island. After retiring from the Bank of New York, she and her husband moved to Roanoke, Virginia, where they lived for over 22 years and raised their blended family of five children.

Carolyn first discovered Quilts of Valor (QOV) online and later joined the Creative Piecers group in North Carolina. After returning to Roanoke and finding no local QOV group, she helped establish the Roanoke QOV Stitchers in 2021.

In 2024, Carolyn relocated to upstate New York to be closer to family. She joined the Northeast Needlers QOV group and now serves as their Group Leader.

As she steps into her new role as State Coordinator, Carolyn looks forward to supporting QOV groups across New Jersey.