Industry Pioneer Carol Everett Oliver Is Winning the Battle of Her Life

Carol Everett Oliver—recognized by many as the first woman to become president of BICSI and a prolific educator in the information and communications technology industry—is winning the battle of her life just a year after her retirement. Oliver received a cancer diagnosis after a routine medical checkup in early 2025, and following months of treatment was declared cancer-free on June 11.

Oliver’s fight began after a scan revealed an anomaly in one of her lymph nodes and a biopsy confirmed the node to be cancerous. Surgery and treatment were successful, and Carol will continue to be scanned for the disease every three months.

Although her journey from diagnosis to a cancer-free declaration was shorter than many patients experience, it was by no means a straight path. And, echoing her accomplishments in the ICT industry as a teacher and a helper of her peers, Carol has chosen to go public with her story as a way to implore others to advocate for themselves in medical situations.

She received her medical care at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, a world-renowned facility. Carol strongly encourages every patient to seek the most-qualified, most-experienced healthcare providers available, even when such providers are not local. A telling moment in Carol’s experience was when her main local healthcare provider she had trusted for a decade commented, “I’ve never seen a report like this before,” striking a substantial blow to Carol’s confidence in this person’s ability to help her navigate the path ahead. That moment cemented Carol’s belief that as a patient, she would pilot her road to recovery, with world-class doctors and nurses alongside as copilots.

On a personal note, one of this author’s most vivid memories of Carol Everett Oliver occurred at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas when a BICSI Fall Conference was held in that venue. Upon reaching the check-in desk on the day of her arrival, Carol was told her room was not yet available even though it was after the hotel’s stated check-in time. The front desk agent explained, “There was a fight last night,” referring to a high-profile boxing match that had been held at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Carol’s response to the desk agent was, “Oh, there’s going to be a fight.” As she metaphorically rolled up her sleeves and prepared to tell the agent her exact demands and the expected outcome, the agent—apparently miraculously—found an available room. When I learned of Carol’s diagnosis, I immediately flashed back to the MGM Grand. The details were different; it was a medical professional on the other side of the desk rather than a hotel clerk, and the bad news delivered was astronomically more grievous. But in my mind’s eye, Carol’s response was the same: “Oh, there’s going to be a fight.” This time, there was a fight. And Carol Everett Oliver is winning it.

She has decided to relinquish her rights to medical privacy for the benefit of anyone who heeds her advice and advocates for their own health. Get regular screenings. Get second and third opinions after an initial diagnosis. Seek the best medical care available. You deserve it.