Meet a Member: Craig ’07 and Zerimar Carter ’09

Craig Carter leaps from his chair as his wife, Zerimar, describes her undergraduate years at Northwestern University. A surge of inspiration carries him out of the room.

Less than 30 seconds later, Craig returns with a sly grin—and two framed photos.

He raises an image of the couple from their 2016 wedding. In the picture, Craig and Zerimar are hoisting a purple Northwestern flag. Some 40 fellow Wildcats are standing behind them. Their smiles are wide, their “claws” high and proud.

Craig then presents another photograph, this one an image of their oldest son, Adrian, as a newborn. Though only a few days old, Adrian is already sporting a Northwestern football onesie. The baby is posed atop his father’s customized purple Northwestern jersey—the one Craig dons on football Saturdays.

“The life we’ve built together is upon a Northwestern foundation,” Craig says. “The University has had a transformative impact on our lives—our marriage, our closest relationships, the professional opportunities we’ve had, and so much more.”

A family and a community

Craig and Zerimar each came to Northwestern from the East Coast—Craig from suburban Baltimore, Zerimar from New York City—after learning about the school through their involvement in Leadership Education and Development (LEAD), a longstanding summer program at Northwestern and other prominent universities. The LEAD program introduces rising high-school seniors of diverse backgrounds to campus life through immersive business-focused learning experiences.

Craig fell in love with the Northwestern campus after participating in LEAD at the Kellogg School of Management. Zerimar, who spent her LEAD summer at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, discovered Northwestern while researching other schools within the LEAD network.

“Being a city girl, Northwestern’s location, just outside of Chicago, was especially appealing to me,” she says.

But even before she arrived in Evanston, Zerimar spotted a “cute boy” on a then-fledgling social network called Facebook. She sent Craig, two years her elder, a friend request.

Throughout their undergraduate years, the two crossed paths often, building a friendship while maintaining packed schedules. Craig participated in Associated Student Government, For Members Only, and the National Society of Black Engineers, and joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Zerimar got involved with the LatinX student alliance Alianza and joined the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin sorority.

“Both of us built a community at Northwestern and an extended family we still love and cherish,” Zerimar says.

The two began dating after Craig graduated in 2007. They married in 2016, and Adrian was born in July 2017. Their younger son, Caden, arrived in June 2020.

A life of learning and giving

In addition to launching the Carters’ relationship, Northwestern has also shaped their professional lives.

“From an academic and credential perspective, Northwestern was the gateway to my first job and graduate school,” says Craig, who has worked as a management consultant, charter school executive, and investment banker and earned a JD-MBA from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. Last year, he joined the financial services company MSCI as executive director of strategy and corporate development.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without Northwestern,” Craig says.

Zerimar, meanwhile, has spent more than a dozen years in advertising. As an account director at global ad agency Publicis, she currently crafts television, radio, and digital campaigns for pharmaceutical clients like Pfizer.

“It’s a fast-changing world, so I’m constantly being challenged, constantly learning—just like I was during my time at Northwestern,” she says.

Empowered by their professional success and spurred by Northwestern’s pivotal role in their lives, the New Jersey–based couple prioritizes giving to their alma mater. They have specifically earmarked support for Athletics and scholarship programs as well as Black and Hispanic student organizations.

“Given the massive impact Northwestern has had on our lives, we want to see the University excel,” Zerimar says. “It’s a place integral to our experience and the communities we’ve built.”