Biography

Karen Smith has been employed by the University of Central Florida (UCF) since July 2008. She serves as Director of Administrative Services and Special Assistant to the Vice President for UCF Medical Affairs and Dean, College of Medicine and functions as the Chief of Staff for the College. Karen is a voting member of the Enterprise, the leadership team for the college, the UCF Academic Health Sciences Center Executive Council, and serves as an ambassador for the college and the UCF Academic Health Sciences Center in a variety of academic, healthcare, corporate, and community settings. She facilitates communications, oversees projects, manages timelines, prioritizes tasks, monitors daily operations, as well as annual meetings and events.

Karen is the first to serve as Special Assistant to the Vice President/Dean. Prior to joining the college, Karen served in management for Harcourt School Publishers, a leading K-12 publishing company, and earlier for Reed Elsevier. Karen credits her management skills to those provided to her immediately after college by United Health Care where she served as a Corporate Trainer for West Coast Operations and later District Manager, Indiana Operations. Karen is Lean Six Sigma certified.

Karen earned her undergraduate and graduate degree in University Administration from Purdue University. Karen served as a representative for Purdue University’s Student Teacher Placement Program throughout central and northern Indiana. She mentored student teachers on management skills, monitored their progress with school principals, and provided performance feedback to both the students and the university. Her work proved beneficial for expanding Purdue University’s student teaching locations in the state.

Education & Specialties

  • B.A., M.S. Ed., Purdue University

No recent media. Please check back soon.