About

Karen A. Allen is a Relationship Manager and Consultant to Employers, Career Adviser, Coach, and Mentor to Students. She is currently working as an Associate Director for the Chicago Field Studies Academic Internship Program at Northwestern University, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, where she builds relationships with employers in all industries and helps them land top quality intern talent. Additionally, she coaches undergraduate students in all academic disciplines and helps them explore and gain experience, as well as secure internships with hundreds of organizations in the Chicagoland area. Karen also hires faculty/instructors and plans the course offerings, helps improve the curriculum, teaches career-relevant skills, and measures learning outcomes, reporting key metrics to senior leaders. Karen has been teaching the Chicago Field Studies course called Analysis of Field Experience (CFS 291-0) at Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies, Summer Session. Students intern with organizations in every field all over the country. Karen has developed a vibrant e-learning community where students read and discuss organizational structure, roles, power, leadership and ethics, gender, race and ethnicity, diversity and teamwork, and the like. They examine the intersections, alliances, and points of departure within the texts regarding the lived behavior of people working with organizational environments. Students exchange points of view and engage in online discussions about their work experiences and critical reflection on those experiences. Karen has also worked as a Leadership Fellow at Northwestern University Center for Leadership, where she developed the capacity for developing leadership in others. She worked collaboratively with program faculty and staff in an environment of deep learning through experimentation, risk-taking, academic inquiry, and real-world problem-solving. Certified as a Northwestern University Leadership Coach, she learned how to effectively coach and develop undergraduate students for leadership roles. Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science in Public Service Management from DePaul University. She has 27.38 years of relevant experience and has listed Deep Learning as her tech stack. Karen is a passionate individual who loves what she does and is committed to delivering the best internship program at Northwestern.