Dr. Karen M.R. Townsend is the president and CEO of KTownsend Consulting, an award-winning organizational development and consulting firm providing expertise in leadership development, 21st-century diversity, and personal excellence.

Townsend is a thought leader who has educated professionals at every level and is well known for her approach to diversity education. Several of Townsend's scholarly articles in this area have been featured in local, regional, and national publications. Dr. Townsend is also a certified diversity consultant, having received her training from the National Multicultural Institute in Washington, D.C. Before launching her consulting practice, she worked for fifteen years as a higher education professional. At Ohio State University, she worked extensively in developing and implementing programs for minority students. Townsend was responsible for identifying and assisting hundreds of underrepresented students in the successful transition from high school to college. She held a similar position at Wright State University.

Townsend is also a certified diversity consultant, having received her training from the National Multicultural Institute in Washington, D.C. Before launching her consulting practice, she worked for fifteen years as a higher education professional. At Ohio State University, she worked extensively in developing and implementing programs for minority students. Townsend was responsible for identifying and assisting hundreds of underrepresented students in the successful transition from high school to college. She held a similar position at Wright State University.

Townsend is also the founder of About My Sisters—an organization “on a mission to empower one million women and girls!” For twenty-nine years, she has helped women to achieve “life balance” by assisting them in discovering their true passions so that they live and lead…confidently. In 2018, her annual empowerment conference—SISTER TO SISTER—celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary and was recognized as one of the longest-running women’s conferences in the United States. As an author and advocate for women, Townsend’s book, It All Started When I Stopped Using Lotion: One Woman’s Journey from Chaos to Calm, was inspired by her quest to find life balance and make time for selfcare. A highlight of her career (and life) was to be selected as one of sixteen people invited to an event sponsored by Oprah Winfrey, “Live the Life You Want,” broadcast worldwide earlier this year.

Townsend received her bachelor's degree in political science from Kentucky State University in 1985, her master's in humanities from The Ohio State University, and her doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Dayton. She is an active member of her community through engagement and social services organizations such as the Tabernacle Baptist Church (Dayton, Ohio) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (Beta Eta Omega). Townsend currently serves on the board of directors for the Dayton Boys and Girls Club, the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Diversity Advisory Council for the Dayton Business Journal, and the Community Advisory Board for the Dayton Daily News.

INSTITUTIONAL MISSION STATEMENT

KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY is a public, comprehensive, historically black land-grant university committed to advancing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, enhancing society, and impacting individuals by providing quality teaching with a foundation in liberal studies, scholarly research, and public service to enable productive lives within the diverse global economy.