VOLAPALOOZA 2023 – KEYNOTE SPEAKER, Karen S. Wells
Karen S. Wells has over 30 years of a unique trifecta of experiences that includes successful key leadership roles in a Fortune 500 company, multiple C-suite roles in nonprofits, and as an entrepreneur and small business owner. Karen has held various multi-disciplined VP positions at the McDonald’s Corporation as Regional Vice President, VP of US Strategy, VP of Operations, and VP of US Nutrition and Menu Development, spanning a 20-year career.
For nearly a decade, Karen owned and operated a small business as a franchisee of The Goddard School, the leading franchise for early childhood development. Based on her passion for philanthropy, inspirational storytelling and guided by her thought leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Karen founded her consulting boutique, The AIW Group. Karen currently serves as Chief Strategy and Diversity Officer for Make-A-Wish America, a grassroots organization granting wishes of hope and healing for critically ill children and their families across the US. Prior to this role, Karen was the CEO of Bridge Communities, the largest provider of transitional housing and support services for families experiencing homelessness in DuPage County
Leading from within is a lesson Karen has learned through a life of beating the odds surviving childhood poverty, breaking what she has termed as the “plexiglass glass ceiling” for women of color in corporate and non-profit leadership, and living on, in, and for purpose through courageous leadership and personal transformation grounded in her faith. Karen is an accomplished and inspirational keynote speaker. She connects with her audiences by transparently sharing her diverse professional leadership journey led by her personal life experiences of hope and resilience.
Karen is committed to supporting and advocating for the marginalized and underrepresented in the community and the workplace. She is dedicated to helping and mentoring women from all walks of life, including women battling poverty, women in leadership, women of color, the next generation of young men and women leaders, and both men and women first-generation college students. In her career, Karen has been interviewed on CNN, featured in the Chicago Tribune as a “Remarkable Person,” named a Rising Star by Fortune Magazine, and featured in many other media outlets for her corporate and community work. Karen has a BSBA in Marketing from Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, and an MBA from Meredith College, Raleigh, NC.
Karen is a proud mom of two young adult children.