Since heading off to college in New England 50 years ago, I have stayed for the most part in the City of Boston. I’ve shortened my name to Carol Bratley, worked hard at being my own boss, and have remained an enthusiastic, involved fan of the City and my Charlestown neighborhood.

My business has been commercial real estate consulting, development and management for many years. I’m still at it today and I’ll probably retire when they take me away or the interest rates rise. Not one necessarily to move in a straight line, I took several fantastic years off in my 30s to study at MIT’s Sloan School and pick up tools for a tech world.

As a balance to my business, I’ve always wanted to serve on boards or commissions where I can focus on issues that I care about: public art in Boston in the 70s, historic preservation across the Commonwealth in the 80s and 90s, mixed income housing development in the 80s. More recently, it’s been about helping people in real need in my Boston neighborhood of Charlestown.

I’ve been married for 34 years to Bill Lamb, who is an architect with his own practice. You may notice the trend toward working for yourself. We are so lucky to share many interests, from community involvement to relaxing at our Maine coastal house on Little Deer Isle, to travels abroad to visit relatives and friends. I also study Italian every week and try to get to Italy every year.

I look forward to seeing those of you I remember and those I don’t. We’ll soon find out that we are mostly still the same...only more so.