Karen Bell De Witt
About Karen Bell De Witt
Karen Bell De Witt serves as the Director of Product Operations at Illuminate Education, Inc., where she has worked since 2020. With a background in communication studies and an MBA, she has extensive experience in product management and development, particularly in the education sector.
Work at Illuminate Education
Karen Bell De Witt has served as the Director of Product Operations at Illuminate Education, Inc. since 2020. In this role, she focuses on new SaaS product development and design, which includes platform migration, reporting, and user experience improvements. She is responsible for the adult assessment product group, overseeing aspects such as profit and loss, sales and product strategy, stakeholder training, and execution. Her leadership involves coordinating cross-functional teams across various departments, including sales, marketing, test development, technology, publishing, and governance.
Education and Expertise
Karen Bell De Witt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies with a focus on Organizational Communication from the University of Minnesota, where she studied from 2000 to 2003. She furthered her education by obtaining a Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management between 2009 and 2011. Additionally, she participated in study abroad programs at FGV - Fundação Getulio Vargas in 2011, focusing on Doing Business in Brazil, and at WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) in 2009, concentrating on Doing Business in CEE Markets.
Professional Background
Before joining Illuminate Education, Karen Bell De Witt held various positions in the education and assessment sectors. She worked as an Assessment Product Manager at Pearson from 2007 to 2011. Following that, she served as Product Director for Adult Education Assessment at Data Recognition Corporation from 2015 to 2017. She also held the position of Product Manager at Korn Ferry for nearly a year in 2014-2015 and worked as an Account Representative at Edmentum from 2004 to 2007.
Achievements
During her career, Karen Bell De Witt has successfully led the submission of a product for federal approval, achieving first-to-market status and serving millions of adults. She has developed strong strategies and alternatives to address anticipated volatile market changes, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex market dynamics and contribute to the growth and success of the organizations she has worked with.