Karen Elzey

Karen Elzey is the director of Skills for America’s Future (SAF). The aim of SAF is to foster a national network of partnerships among employers, labor unions, and community colleges, with a commitment to scaling meaningful and measurable solutions. SAF also provides a national voice on the effectiveness of public-private partnerships in a variety of areas: improving workforce skills, assessing industry-recognized credentials, and gauging employment outcomes of American workers and students.

Elzey has more than 18 years of experience in the areas of workforce development, public-private partnerships, and project management. Her previous experience includes serving as vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce, where she advanced policy positions and promoted public-private partnerships to ensure that businesses remained competitive in a global economy. Before joining the U.S. Chamber, Elzey coordinated public-private partnerships between K-12 school districts and employers for a local economic development agency in Indiana, and taught English as a Second Language in Poland.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Elzey has both a bachelor's and master's degree from Miami University (OH). She has also completed the Executive Leadership Program at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.