We collaborate with you and your team to help you overcome barriers to success.
Welcome to the Generative family!
Hi, I’m Karen.
I started Generative after working as a career-long nonprofit leader, including serving as both an executive director in Washington, DC and as a member of the c-suite for a national nonprofit.
As leaders, our plates are full, we wear many hats, and sometimes we exist with blinders up. The challenges I encounter time and time again - both as an in-house nonprofit leader as well as a consultant to others - include: disconnected teams, difficulty actualizing strategic vision, low engagement from boards of directors, and lack of transparency and inclusivity in decision-making.
As an executive, my greatest learnings and opportunities for growth surfaced after gaining insight, perspective, and sometimes just empathy from my peers - both inside, and often outside, of the organizations where I was working. A common theme emerged: we expand our capacity as leaders when we think, learn, decide, and perform generatively. That is how the vision for Generative began.
I have taken these learnings and applied them to my practice at Generative. I coach and partner with organizational leaders to help them solve their greatest challenges. I also facilitate leadership workshops and retreats with the goal of teaching generative frameworks for feedback, problem-solving, decision-making, and goal-setting that can be used for these teams’ continued collaboration.
I welcome the opportunity to connect with you and your teams! You can contact me at karen.gardner@generativegrowth.me
Karen’s Bio
Prior to Generative, Karen was the Chief Development Officer, for Reading Partners, where she led the organization to raise over $30M annually. She also previously served as the Sr. Executive Director, for Reading Partners in DC, where she worked alongside the board and staff to raise $3M annually, recruit thousands of volunteers, and gain community champions in order to double the number of students the organization served within five years. She has demonstrated exemplary performance in each of her roles - meeting and often exceeding fundraising and programmatic goals.
Karen earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Ball State University. She later earned a master's in business administration from The George Washington University with a concentration in organizational development and nonprofit management. She has facilitated workshops and retreats to support teams to address a variety of organizational needs, including fundraising, strategic planning, team optimization, and board engagement. And she has partnered with nonprofits to successfully plan, develop, and launch new programs.