About Me
Karen brings a passion for education that springs from her direct experience as an immigrant to the United States as well as a blend of grassroots community-building and state-level policy experience. She is currently responsible for designing project management processes that are essential to supporting multiple partnership programs and goals.
Prior to her career in design, Karen served as a Chief of Staff in the Texas House of Representatives, where she helped develop progressive policy around women’s healthcare, education, immigration, juvenile justice and family issues. In this role, she played a key role in the passage of Texas House Bill 3005, which was developed to help immigrant families receive the right to an interpreter during child custody evaluations. Previously, Karen worked as a community organizer for Jolt Texas, a progressive organization in Texas, where she focused on creating networks of young people of color across the state to build collective voice, power, and influence through civic engagement.
Karen began her higher ed journey at Dallas College, and graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs & Community Service and a minor in Nonprofit Leadership. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Human Centered Design and Innovation from Southern Methodist University.
Skills
Product Strategy · Human-Centered Design · User Research · Stakeholder Engagement · Agile Methodologies · Data-Driven Decision-Making · Salesforce · Tableau · Journey Mapping · Project Management · Cross-Functional Leadership · Usability Testing · Curriculum Design · Workshop Facilitation · Bilingual (English/Spanish)
