Overview

As Senior Director of Strategic Alliances, Karen brings 23 years of expertise in cybersecurity, systems administration, and solving customer problems to her role building Axiad’s partnerships and alliances. She draws on her experience in all types of organizations — from startups to Fortune 50 corporations — across diverse industries such as retail, finance, and manufacturing to come up with a plan to meet customer needs. Karen’s biggest strength is her ability to envision clear solutions to customer problems. She loves that “ah-ha” moment that comes from identifying and creating strong vendor partnerships that together, more effectively solve customer pain points.

Karen is an exceptional leader who can motivate and execute with integrity to build high functioning teams. By blending her technical knowledge of software, hardware, and security with her people skills, she achieves results that produce impact. Karen has managed teams ranging in size from 3 people to over 70 people. She was fortunate to have people who took interest in her career early on and believes in giving others the same support and opportunities.

Karen is a lifelong learner who enjoys exploring new ideas and technologies and teaching and inspiring others. She is a frequent participant in industry webinars and podcasts, helping educate CISOs and their security teams on new standards and technologies to help solve their authentication issues. Based on Karen’s reputation as a security expert and leader, she was recently appointed to the FIDO Alliance Board of Directors. In her new role, Karen will help set direction for the FIDO passwordless standard, lending her experience and perspective to address the authentication needs of the enterprise and public sector.

No matter what her role or responsibilities, Karen is constantly taking on new challenges that help advance the business, inspire others, and expand both her personal and professional skills.