Karen Vasey
About Karen Vasey
Karen Vasey is the Lead Product Manager at Thoughtworks, where she has worked since 2021, focusing on E-Commerce, Payments, Fraud, and Marketplace models. With extensive experience in product management, she specializes in strategic product innovation and agile value delivery techniques.
Work at ThoughtWorks
Karen Vasey has been serving as the Lead Product Manager at ThoughtWorks since 2021. Based in Chicago, Illinois, she focuses on delivering domain excellence in areas such as E-Commerce, Payments, Fraud, and Marketplace models. Her role involves crafting tailor-made strategies to address unique challenges faced by clients. She emphasizes the importance of empowering clients to transition into product-first organizations by leveraging emerging technologies and evolving methodologies.
Previous Experience at Follett Higher Education
Prior to her current role, Karen Vasey worked at Follett Higher Education for four years as the Director of Product Management and Development from 2017 to 2021. In this position, she was responsible for overseeing product management strategies. Before that, she held the role of Senior Product Manager for Academic Tools & Utilities from 2014 to 2017 and served as a Senior Course Materials Analyst from 2008 to 2014. Her extensive experience at Follett contributed to her expertise in product innovation and management.
Educational Background
Karen Vasey earned her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs from Penn State University. She attended the university from 1995 to 1999, where she developed foundational skills in communication that support her current role in product management.
Specialization and Skills
Karen specializes in strategic product innovation, collaborating with cross-functional tech and design teams to develop solutions that align customer needs with business outcomes. She employs agile value delivery techniques, focusing on lean value delivery and prioritizing incremental value work. Additionally, she conducts competitive analysis to identify market trends and provides data-driven recommendations to help clients maintain a competitive edge.
Early Career at Borders
Before her tenure at Follett, Karen worked as a Retail Supervisor at Borders from 2001 to 2003. This early experience in retail management contributed to her understanding of customer engagement and operational efficiency, which are essential in her current product management roles.