Karen Nelson

Karen Nelson serves as the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce’s Director of Supplier Diversity and will oversee all supplier diversity efforts on behalf of the chamber. Prior to this role, she served as chief impact officer at the American Leadership Forum – Mountain Valley Chapter headquartered in Sacramento, CA. She was responsible for the strategic design, implementation, and management of the organization. Nelson has over 15 years of experience engaging with small businesses, corporations, and nonprofit organizations within the greater Sacramento region. From 2017 to 2019, Nelson served as assistant deputy director at the State of California’s Department of Consumer Affairs, an appointee under Governor Brown’s administration, where she served as the Department’s liaison for 37 boards and bureaus. She was director of youth and community engagement at PRO Youth and Families in 2014, where she led the organization's youth and community programs. Nelson held several positions at the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce from 2005 to 2011, including director of events, director of events and sponsorship and director of events, sponsorship and foundation. She earned her masters degree in Business Administration at Drexel University, and bachelors degree in Communications and Psychology at the University of California, Davis. She has had a long career in the greater Sacramento region and is passionate about performing work that impacts the broader community.