Profile

A keynote speaker, author, and award-winning professional with over a decade of accomplishments in diversity, equity, and inclusion; environmental, social & governance (ESG), corporate social responsibility (CSR). Karen has worked regional and globally with non-profit, business, state government and municipal clients. Karen is a founding member of Senior Executive's DEI Think Tank. 

Karen is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director for Jensen Hughes, a global engineering and consulting services company that provides services, software, and consulting in fire protection engineering, forensic engineering, and security. Being a first-generation college student, she proudly teaches as an Adjunct Professor in the Business Center at the Community College of Denver, which serves one of the most diverse student populations in Colorado.

Karen has been recognized with awards for leadership, service to non-profits and public schools, mentoring, and dedication to youth and families in poverty and in 2021 was appointed by the Governor to the State of Colorado's Business Experiential Learning Commission. Karen is a Certified Diversity Professional, is ACUE-certified for designing equitable courses. and is a PhD candidate at Eastern University. 

Karen has been recognized with numerous awards for leadership contributions and service to community-based organizations, and for dedication to serving youth and families in poverty. Karen resides in Colorado and serves her local community on by Governor appointment on the State of Colorado's Business Experiential Learning (BEL) Commission.

Karen's dissertation work is focused on exploring destructive leadership, followers, and conducive environments as a group process. Her recent publications include: “Empathetic or Destructive? – Impact of Leadership Behavior during a Pandemic and Ethics of Care” found in Ethics International Press’s 2022 book The COVID 19 Pandemic: Ethical Challenges and Considerations , the 2022 SAGE Publishing business case study Employee Workload and Retention in an Environment of Unpaid Labor: Acknowledging and Supporting “Women’s Work” and Gender disparity in the wake of the pandemic: Examining the increased mental health risks of substance use disorder and interpersonal partner violence for women found in the International Merits Journal’s special issue Changing Realities for Women and Work: The Impact of COVID-19 and Prospects for the Post-Pandemic Work World.