Karen E. Avery
Karen E. Avery joined PBS as Senior Director of Institutional Giving of the PBS Foundation, in January 2011. In this role, she is responsible for increasing support from the foundation and corporate sectors for PBS priorities and programs. Before PBS, she spent seven years as Director of Foundation Relations at the Smithsonian Institution, and served as Chairperson of the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center Board of Directors for three of those years. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Avery was Assistant Dean of Harvard College, and also worked for many years as a Senior Admissions Officer at Harvard. Avery received her M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a concentration in administration, planning and social policy, and her A.B. from Harvard in psychology and social relations. She currently serves on the Wolf Trap Associates Board of Directors and she resides in Alexandria, VA with a husband, two kids (15 and 12), and one crazy dog.
