Carlton is a certified coach with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works with individuals and organizations that aspire to work better and realize the impact they hope for. He is the former director of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, a position he held for 15 years.
Carlton’s affiliation with the Harwood Institute dates from 2003 when he began to apply the institute’s approach in the library’s strategic plan. In the years that followed, the library grew to be regarded as a respected, trusted institution and a force for civic renewal and social change. His work in the community was recognized by the international Urban Libraries Council with its Urban Player of the Year Award and by Wittenberg University with its Alumni Citation Award.
Carlton currently operates his own coaching and consulting practice that provides training and support to individual organizations across the United States and through national networks such as United Way Worldwide, the American Library Association, and AARP. He also supports communities and organizations facing issue specific public challenges. Carlton helped guide the decision-making process for the future of the Sandy Hook Elementary School and is presently engaged in a challenge facing Goodwill International.