Karen Williamson

Born in St. Louis, Mo., Karen E. Williamson attended segregated and integrated public schools. She grew up in a warm and supportive African American community that stressed moral and educational accomplishment. She later graduated from Wellesley College and earned an M.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. She began her career in brand management positions at Philip Morris and Avon and later worked at the Department of Housing & Urban Development and then in the White House as deputy to a special assistant to the president. She later worked in the telecommunications industry and the managed health care industry and is currently a consultant specializing in marketing, business development, and communications. Williamson serves on the boards of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement and Health Care Services for Children with Special Needs. She is a member of the Potomac (VA) Chapter of The Links, Inc., a member of Leadership Greater Washington, and a trustee of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. Formerly, she was board president of the YWCA National Capital Area, trustee of Wellesley College, president of the Wellesley College Alumnae Association, board member of MedStar Health Research Institute, board member of Green Door, president of the Washington Wellesley Club, and president of her Wellesley class.