Karen Hewitt

Cultural Organizer, Community Builder, Artist, Author, Poet & Rest Advocate

Karen earned their MS in Mathematics at St. Francis University (PA) and their Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Leadership at The Ohio State University. Her career began as a collegiate Women’s Basketball Coach and evolved into a Workforce Development focus. Karen Hewitt is committed to doing the work of creating experiences that connect, foster belonging, and curate community. Karen is the Founder of the Culture of You and Co-founder of The Ohio REST Collective and her areas of expertise are Culture and Diversity Management, Leadership Development, Team Building, and Gender and Sexuality; centering Black and LGBTQ+ experiences and wisdom. 

Currently Karen serves as the President of the Board for The Buckeye Flame and as a member of the board of directors for Zora’s House. They are a part of several community initiatives and at the table during macro and micro challenges faced by community members.
 
Karen is also a creative, donning the name Karen Marie. Ze is an improv comedian and improv poet and singer. In 2019, Karen published their first book of poetry, Grounded; and released Fire: Poetic Memoirs of a Movement in August of 2021. They are also an author in the April 2021 released anthology, The Black Woman’s Guide To Love and Business: A Blueprint To Self-Mastery. Karen’s latest writing project was a 2023 anthology chapter for a book called Culture Impact: Strategies to Create World-Changing Workplaces. Her work and presence compels others to journey inward, and encourages them to see the world in more expansive and hopeful ways.