Karen Pedersen

Karen Pedersen has a long history serving in various administrative positions and is currently in the role of dean for Global Campus at Kansas State University.  Previously she worked as the chief knowledge officer for the Online Learning Consortium where she served as a thought leader and fostered initiatives related to learning innovation, quality enhancement, leadership development, and institutional transformation. 

She has expertise leading award-winning online and off-campus units, expanding partnerships, engaging cross-institutional academic operations, and pursuing integrated marketing solutions to realize significant enrollment growth and retention outcomes.  Other experiences include serving on the launch team for a competency-based education initiative, leading a system-wide enrollment management transformation and building academic collaborations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil.

Prior to starting her administrative career, Pedersen served as a faculty member at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  She holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a doctorate from Oklahoma State University.    

Ph.D. in Home Economics, Oklahoma State University, 1991
M.S. in Textiles, Clothing, and Design, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1986
B.S. in Consumer Textiles, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1984