Karen Baetzel, MA
Senior Consultant

Karen has a unique background of military, non-profit and corporate leadership and training combined with passion for leadership development, education, and training. Well experienced in diverse performance-based, high profile national projects, she has led with distinction, through challenging, and complex multi-year projects. A gifted and engaging trainer, writer and communicator, Karen is an award-winning competition public speaker and a professional member of the National Speakers Association.

While serving as Program Director at Dare Mighty Things, Karen managed the daily operations for the training contract and team, including subcontractors, consultants and teaming partners for National ChalleNGe Institute, the sole training provider for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. Her team served training clients in 34 programs throughout 29 states through the National Challenge Institute, an IACET accredited training and technical assistance learning provider and consulting firm.

Karen’s thirty years of military leadership and training experience, began with operational aviation duty, making her one of the Navy’s most senior female aviators, eventually qualified to fly rotary, propeller and jet aircraft. She also served as Associate Professor at University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, teaching courses in Naval Organization, History and Weapons. She held reserve Executive officer and Commanding Officer assignment in aircraft carrier augmentation units. In the past six years, she lead numerous national level training efforts in two specialty areas of leadership and emergency preparedness, while serving as drilling reservist and military responder in the event of national emergency.