Karen Oates

Karen Oates serves as a Senior Academic Consultant at Academic Leadership Group, Inc. since November 2023. Oates has been the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute since July 2010, overseeing seven academic departments and several interdisciplinary programs. Additional roles include being a Member of the President's Roundtable at Rochester Institute of Technology since January 2019, involvement with the AAAS Human Rights and Science Committee since December 2011, and being a founding partner of Success 4 Higher Education from October 2020 to November 2023. Oates co-founded the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement and has held various positions in academic organizations since 2000. Oates previously managed a $380 million budget as Deputy Director of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation from 2007 to 2010. Oates holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology and Biology from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The George Washington University.