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Karen Cheser, EdD (she/her/hers)

Superintendent
Durango School District
Durango, Colorado

Karen Cheser, Ed.D., is Superintendent of Durango School District in Durango, CO and was previously superintendent of Fort Thomas Schools and Deputy Superintendent/ CAO of Boone County Schools, both in KY. Prior to working in education as a teacher, coach, literacy and math specialist, principal, Distinguished Educator and district administrator, Karen worked for Procter & Gamble Inc. in sales management. Karen has been instrumental in bringing innovation, student agency, and a focus on future workforce to SW Colorado and Northern KY through such projects as the Impact Career Innovation Center, NKY MakerSpace, Ignite Institute, Launch@20 Grand, LEGO League Robotics and the NKY Entrepreneurship Council. Karen served as national Vice-Chair of EdLeader21, is a member of the CoSN National Superintendents’ Panel and SEEC (Superintendents’ Sustainability Education Council), is Board Chair of the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, President of the Durango Chamber of Commerce,and Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative Advisory Council. Karen is a Lifetime Achievement Award winner (by the NKY Chamber of Commerce and NKY Ed Council), NKY Chamber Community Award recipient, Ruth A. Eger Leader of Distinction, was a Toyota/ Storer Business Collaboration Award winner, a AASA National Woman Administrator of the Year Award finalist, Vision 2015 Champion of Education, an Outstanding Woman of NKY, KY District Administrator of the Year and A.D. Albright Outstanding Administrator (NKY Chamber of Commerce). Karen earned an Ed.D. (Educational Leadership and Business Informatics) from NKU, (with B.A., M.Ed. degrees, and other coursework from WKU, NKU, and UK) and has presented at numerous conferences, on topics such as designing innovation, strategic planning, process improvement, student empowerment, global competency, 21st century skills, dispositional hiring and leading higher academic standards. Karen is mom to two college-aged sons, wife to an entrepreneur/ woodworker, loves to travel, and coaches robotics in her spare time.

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