2012 Kentucky Summit on Philanthropy

Karen Stephenson

Dr. Karen Stephenson

Corporate Anthropologist

Dr. Karen Stephenson, hailed in Business 2.0 as “The Organization Woman”, is a corporate anthropologist and is lauded as a pioneer and "leader in the growing field of social-network business consultants."

In 2007, she was awarded the Star Award by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) for her contributions to the workplace. She was also one of only four females recognized among 55 in Random House’s 2007 Guide to the Management Gurus. In 2006, she was awarded the first Houghton Hepburn Fellow at Bryn Mawr College for her groundbreaking contributions to civic engagement. In 2001, her consulting firm Netform was recognized as one of the top 100 leading innovation companies by CIO.

In 2000 she was featured in a New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell regarding the social dynamics of office spaces. Even before these accolades, Stephenson had earned praises for innovating a variety of complex problems which have been featured in The Economist, Forbes, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and Wired.

Drawing upon her prolific experience and 400-member database, Dr. Stephenson consistently delivers that “aha’ moment to her clients and audiences. A global nomad, she has been sighted at the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University where she currently lectures. This was preceded by five years at the Harvard School of Design and 10 years at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management.

She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology at Harvard University, an M.A. in Anthropology at the University of Utah, and B.A. in Art & Chemistry at Austin College, TX.

You can read about her at www.drkaren.us and her company at www.netform.com.