Karen Maldonado serves as Techinal Advisor for US Education in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands with FHI 360. She is also the founder of Karma Ejecutiva PR Consultores (KEPRC). Since 2018, she has offered strategy recommendations and executive coaching services to mid-senior level leaders of color across the education sector.In 2023, she served as Chief Program and Innovation Officer (CPIO) for Latinos for Education, the first Latino-founded and led national organization dedicated to creating pathways for Latinos in education. Prior to serving as CPIO, Karen was the director of education reform for the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. Her role was to ensure the Puerto Rico DOE worked to implement system-wide best practices across every public school on the island. Karen's work provided a transformation roadmap for better K-12 student outcomes and greater workforce participation and productivity. Karen also served in the New York City Department of Education for 20 years; her most memorable experience was serving as founding principal of the first bilingual secondary school (English/Spanish for grades sixth-twelfth) in the Bronx, NY. Karen is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of Harvard's Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) program, Fordham University(MS), City of New York at Hunter College (MA) and the State University of New York at Binghamton University (BA). She currently lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.