Kara Pernice

Kara Pernice has a diverse work experience in the field of usability and user experience. Kara started their career as a Usability Specialist at Lotus Development in 1991 and worked there until 1995. Kara then moved to Interleaf, where they served as a Usability Manager from 1995 to 1996. In 1997, they joined IBM as a Usability Manager and worked on various products, including LotusNotes. Kara remained at IBM until 2000.

In 2000, Kara joined Nielsen Norman Group, where they held multiple roles throughout their tenure. Kara started as a Managing Director, Director of Research, and Senior Usability Specialist, and worked in that position until 2015. Kara was then promoted to Senior Vice President and continued in that role until 2023. Currently, Kara serves as the President and CEO of Nielsen Norman Group.

Additionally, Kara was involved with the USER EXPERIENCE PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION from 1996 to 2001, where they held various roles such as Conference co-chair, Advisor, Presentations Committee Co-Chair, and Government Usability Committee member.

Kara Pernice earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, PR from Simmons College in Boston, MA. Kara pursued their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Northeastern University.