Karen Markel, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP 

I support leadership journeys in the transitions – life never goes as planned, and I coach leaders to be nimble and pivot to achieve growth during challenging times.  

Using a strengths-based approach, and expertise as a human resource management practitioner and scholar, Karen uses her nearly 25 years of higher education experience to support you navigating the interruptions.  As a coach, she brings her expertise as a senior certified human resource management professional and Gallup-trained coach to her work with clients.  Her knowledge of staff and faculty affairs (having worked in organizations governed both with and without collective bargaining agreements), fiscal responsibility, strategic planning, public/private partnerships and accreditation informs her depth of understanding.  That knowledge has shaped her recognition that higher education leaders must lead by example with integrity, transparency, and vision, all while having to make tough decisions executed under competing constraints. In her coaching conversations, she partners with clients to tackle their leadership challenges along with their own personal goals and career aspirations. 

Karen has been using her passion for employee success to help her colleagues be successful in their personal and professional lives. She supports her clients’ growth by helping them examine their leadership path and goals and the unique challenges and opportunities they face, providing guidance as the create an action plan and strategies shaped by their own personal and professional dynamics. Karen also works with her clients to be mindful of setting boundaries and balance among the competing demands higher education leaders face in the multiple roles they hold.  As a wife and mother of two daughters, she exemplifies how leaders can also have time for personal joy, which she believes contributes to professional effectiveness. 

Most recently, Karen served as Dean of the College of Business at the University of Colorado Springs.  Before this position, she served as Dean of the College of Business and Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage, spent nearly 20 years at Oakland University where she ended her tenure as Department Chair and Provost Faculty Fellow working on projects related to faculty diversity. While at Oakland University, she progressively rose through the promotion process to full professor, serving in various leadership positions while maintaining an active research agenda. She maintained her academic activities while assuming leadership positions, centering her work on organizational development, employment inclusion of people with different abilities, and other topics in human resource management.   

Karen earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Management from Washington University in St. Louis, a M.S. in Sociology from SUNY at Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences – Human Resource Management and Labor Relations from Michigan State University. As a lifelong learner, she continues to develop her expertise through professional continuing education. ost recently she completed the Academy of Innovation in Higher Education Leadership at Arizona State University.  She currently co-facilitates (and provides fellows coaching) the P3.Edu innovation in public-private partnerships higher education leadership fellowship program.  

Testimonials  

Karen’s higher education background coupled with her Human Resources policy expertise makes her a uniquely qualified coach for both executive and emerging leaders in colleges and universities. Meeting with her is like having a Chief of Staff in your back pocket, helping advise you on the best way to approach problems, push boundaries, and achieve personal leadership breakthroughs. It’s one thing to feel a bit better after meeting with a coach, but it is another to receive a map of a clear pathway to a brighter future and then handed a sword because she knows you may need to go to battle to get there. 

S.J., Vice President, large public university 

Embracing a true commitment to helping others change professional directions and/or clarify professional choices, Karen takes the time to connect with those she is coaching. She provides a safe place for people to open up and share what they hope to find in their own professional journey. Karen is constantly in the presence of the people she is coaching, working with them and learning from them. When coaching others in a variety of situations, she listens and, then, responds constructively providing opportunity for the person to grow professionally. 

C.M. Senior Instructor, Large Private University 

Karen served as the executive coach to the Fellows in the inaugural P3EDU Fellowship. Every session with Karen was worthwhile as she provided coaching drawing from her rich experiences working as a faculty member and administrator within higher education. She affirmed me, provided new ways to think about challenges, and was always professional (with a terrific sense of humor). 

S.M. Associate Provost and Executive Director of Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Large Public University