Carolyn Quilloin Coleman is a native of Savannah, Georgia, where she graduated from Savannah State College. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in history and a minor in economics and sociology. She has done further study at Memphis Theological Seminary and holds the Masters of Science degree in adult education from North Carolina A & T State University.

Previous to her work as a Commissioner, she served as the Special Assistant to Governor James B. Hunt for eight years. In this position, she advised the Governor on policy, personnel, legislation and concerns pertinent to the minority community.

Commissioner Coleman currently serves as a liaison on several Boards, including the Greensboro Sports Commission, the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, and Work First Planning Board. She also serves on the Board's Budget Process Committee, Community Based Organizations Study Committee and School Budget Committee.

She is active in the NAACP, serving as the Secretary to the NAACP National Board of Directors and the Vice President of the North Carolina State NAACP, as well as activities with the local Greensboro Branch of the NAACP. She is involved in numerous civic and volunteer organizations including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and is a communicant of the New Zion Baptist Church in Greensboro.

Commissioner Coleman currently resides in Pleasant Garden and is the mother of one son, Carlton.