Karen Blackwell

SBDC Center:

Karen Blackwell is an experienced Supplier Diversity Executive with a demonstrated history as a thought leader in supplier engagement. She is skilled in business planning, operations management, coaching, sales, and supplier and customer relationship management. She is a strong purchasing professional with a Master of Regional Planning degree in Social Policy Planning and Economic Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Karen also has certificates from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and CORO. Her excellent communication and interpersonal skills allow her to cultivate a business strategy and rapport with key stakeholders to develop innovative procurement tools and programs that enhance efficiencies and reduce costs. Karen is best described as a hands-on team leader who leads by example and successfully manages highly effective, cohesive teams, motivating them to peak performance to enhance revenues and set standards for excellence. In addition, Karen’s expertise and background in the public sector provide an opportunity to assist companies that are required to develop and report Supplier Diversity Programs.