arol Lavin Bernick, CEO of Polished Nickel Capital Management, is the former Executive Chairman of the Alberto Culver Company. While dramatically growing the company to over $3 billion in sales, Carol instituted a nationally-recognized cultural overhaul profiled in the Harvard Business Review, among other publications. In 2011 she initiated and oversaw its sale to Unilever. Committed to giving back, she serves on numerous boards including Northwestern Memorial Healthcare (past board chair), Northwestern University, the Chicago Community Trust and Tulane University, her alma mater. Carol self-published her first book, Gather As You Go, in 2018, which is a collection of 300+ short stories and lessons learned covering business and leadership, philanthropy, parenting, caring for elderly parents, planning celebrations, and more. Sales of her book benefit Enchanted Backpack, a 501c3 charity founded by Carol and her family to serve under-resourced schools in and around the Chicagoland area. In its first year, Enchanted Backpack touched the hearts and minds of 20,000 students and 1,200 teachers in five counties in Northern Illinois.
