As the Director of Lifelong Saving and Investing at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, Karen works to spark both policy and market changes that will enable everyone in America to successfully save and invest in assets that grow. A longtime believer in the power of automatic saving and capital markets investing—as demonstrated most powerfully by the defined contribution retirement savings system—Karen is especially focused on bringing about changes to our financial systems that will benefit households with low levels of wealth. She is committed in equal measure to retrofitting proven wealth-building pathways like 401(k)s and 529s to work better for more people and to influencing the design of emerging asset classes to be universally accessible and effective from the start.
Karen speaks and moderates regularly at investment and retirement industry events, on podcasts, and in the media on how we can strengthen the balance sheet of everyone in America. She is also one of the co-founders of the Collaborative for Equitable Retirement Savings.
Before coming to the Aspen Institute, Karen spent 10 years at the Financial Health Network, where she consulted with megabanks, insurance firms, community financial institutions, and fintechs on the design and delivery of a range of quality financial products for underserved consumers. Karen also led the development of the Financial Health Network’s financial services provider engagement model. She began her career in the retirement industry as a bilingual 401(k) plan educator for both Strong Funds and Wells Fargo Institutional Trust Services.
Karen holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan and undergraduate degrees from Indiana University. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, Matt, and two sons. When she isn’t cheering from the soccer sidelines or nagging her kids to practice piano, you can find her on her gravel bike on a dirt road north of Ann Arbor.
