Carol Harnett, Council for Disability Awareness President, Dies

By Allison Bell

News August 17, 2023 at 10:36 AM

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Carol Harnett, the president of the Council for Disability Awareness, died Friday in Durham, North Carolina, from complications of cancer, the council reported earlier this week.

Harnett became the council's leader in 2014.

Previously, she worked as director of resources and rehabilitation services at Prudential Financial and as national disability and life practice leader at Hartford Life.

In 2008, she helped insurers work with employers to support military veterans returning from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the Council for Disability Awareness, she led efforts by insurers, disability insurance distributors and insurance producers to promote the value of using private insurance to fill in the coverage gaps left by major medical insurance, Social Security disability insurance benefits and workers' compensation insurance benefits.

The council's annual awareness month campaigns make the case that the ability to earn a living is the most valuable asset that most workers have and that insuring the ability to earn a paycheck is as logical as insuring a house.

Harnett was also a longtime benefits columnist for Human Resources Executive and hosted the Financial Health and Income Network podcast.

Harnett was born in New York, the daughter of Raymond and Ann Harnett. She grew up on Staten Island. She earned a bachelor's degree in biological chemistry from St. Peter's University and a master's degree in physiology from Rutgers.

Harnett and her sister, Sue Harnett, set up the Ann & Raymond Harnett Family Fund to honor the memory of their parents and support disabled women working in technology, according to her obituary.

Carol Harnett. Credit: Council for Disability Awareness

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