Karen, Director, Workforce Initiatives, including the Center’s Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI), our signature leadership course for executives and emerging leaders.
Karen is also responsible for outreach activities such as National Manufacturing Day events and industry facility tours that support regional STEM initiatives in partnership with non-profits, school districts, colleges, and economic development organizations.
As a woman who studied and practiced engineering and who has invested in the next generation, initiating and managing awareness programs about manufacturing careers in the Lehigh Valley school districts, this has become her mission.
Karen is responsible for program development and delivery of MRC’s STEM initiatives that include the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest and the Pennsylvania Dream Team ambassador program for young manufacturing professionals. Karen spearheads the expansion of both programs in Pennsylvania.
She is a frequent speaker to school districts, industry consortiums, and government relations, and speaks at conferences on the topics of STEM education, manufacturing, and workforce programs. To date, Karen has worked with more than 100 regional school districts, 100 local companies, and over 5,000 regional students.
Karen is highly organized and has a magnetic personality. She has taken the vision of the Lehigh Valley “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” phenomenon and grew it to achieve statewide and national implementation. She approaches most challenges with her experience in problem solving and with highly proficient people skills.
Karen is a Mechanical Engineer with industry experience in a manufacturing environment at Bosch Rexroth coupled with twelve years of experience in non-profit fundraising, direct work with high school and college students, and leadership training. Karen received her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
Contact Karen:
(610) 442-4866
karen.buck@mrcpa.org
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