Karen began her teaching career in Richardson Independent School District in Texas. In 2006, she moved to Nashville and began supporting Tennessee’s youngest students through Tennessee’s Early Intervention System. Upon finishing her master’s degree in education public policy in 2010, she joined TNTP, a national education non-profit. During her time at TNTP, she served as an analyst, supporting design and implementation of teacher evaluation systems and research design and execution for TNTP’s national report, The Mirage. As a Director, she led work around aspiring principal selection and training, teacher pipeline, and academic diagnostics. Karen managed the Academic Diagnostics Team to train and lead teams of reviewers to observe classroom instruction and analyze student work across the country, sharing back findings and recommendations to schools, districts, and states that shed light on the extent to which they were offering students grade-level experiences in K-12 literacy and math. In 2022, Karen transitioned to work at the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (TN SCORE) as their Senior Director of Networks and Partnerships. In this role Karen wrote grants and managed networks of educators, leaders, and technical assistance providers on topics including high-dosage tutoring, instructional coherence, education preparation program coursework and district partners around early literacy, strategic staffing, and district collaboration to design educator, student, and family-centered strategies aligned to industry needs. Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies
