Karen serves as NatureServe's Chief Advancement Officer directing fundraising operations and strategy, building new partnerships, and developing organizational strategy. She serves on the Executive Team and the Governance Committee of the board of trustees. Karen has worked for over 25 years in the national, state, and local non-profit sector with 18 years of experience in senior philanthropy positions raising millions of dollars for mission-driven organizations, primarily in the conservation sector. Most recently, she served as Major Gifts Director for NatureServe, Development Director for the National Audubon Society, Development Director for Conservation Trust of North Carolina, and the Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer for the North Carolina Symphony. Karen grew up in Vienna, VA graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in psychology and earning an MS in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington. Karen is an avid hiker, traveler, learner, birdwatcher, and gardener living on a micro-farm in NC where she is planting a food forest.