Karen Zais
About Karen Zais
Karen Zais is the Learning & Development Manager, Digital & Technology at General Mills, with a background in continuous improvement and executive coaching.
Title
Karen Zais currently serves as the Learning & Development Manager, Digital & Technology at General Mills. Additionally, she holds the position of Continuous Improvement and Training Manager at the same company, working in both Golden Valley, MN, and Chanhassen, MN.
Company
General Mills, a leading global food company, employs Karen Zais as both a Learning & Development Manager, Digital & Technology, and a Continuous Improvement and Training Manager. Her roles in Golden Valley, MN, and Chanhassen, MN involve spearheading technical and leadership training initiatives aligned with organizational goals.
Education and Expertise
Karen Zais earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Administration, Management, and Operations from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management, completing her studies from 1996 to 1998. She also holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, which she completed between 1987 and 1992. Her educational background is complemented by her diverse skills in organizational development, continuous improvement management, and process/product development engineering.
Professional Background
Karen Zais has an extensive professional history, including 12 years as a Performance Improvement Consultant & Executive Coach at TwinFusion, the People Performance Firm, in Excelsior, MN, from 2003 to 2015. Prior to that, she spent 3 years as a Team Development Coordinator at Tolomatic and 6 years as a Senior Process Scientist at The Pillsbury Company. Her experience spans across different industries, focusing on team and process development.
Key Responsibilities
In her roles at General Mills, Karen Zais has developed and implemented a comprehensive technical learning and development plan for Digital and Technology employees. She actively collaborates with Digital and Technology leaders and HR business partners to ensure learning initiatives align with organizational goals. Her responsibilities also include providing process improvement coaching and executive coaching to enhance team performance and leadership capabilities.