Karen Ware

Background

About Karen Ware

Karen is an experienced leader with over a decade of practice in program design and implementation, leadership development, and coaching. She is currently the Director of Implementation Innovation at TRAILS, a rapidly scaling nonprofit working to expand access to evidence-based mental health supports in K-12 schools. Her passion for cultivating spaces for people to thrive led her to the role of Director of Organizational Development and Innovative Programs at the NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN), a nonprofit focused on reimagining education for Indigenous students. She joined NISN in 2019 as the Director of the Indigenous Educator Corps, a program that has since been highlighted by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Karen previously led a professional development program at New Memphis tailored to emerging leaders and stewarded the organization's education funding and partnerships. At Teach for America Memphis, she supported both teachers and coaches in the role of Director, Teacher Leadership Development. Karen began her career as a classroom teacher, serving students in Memphis, TN, Colorado Springs, CO, and Gallup, NM. Karen is a certified professional coach and the founder of Pure Joy Coaching, LLC. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Art History, Native American Studies, and Germanic Studies from Indiana University. Karen also received a Master of Art in Visual Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.