Karen Waters

Karen helps oversee the growth and stability of S360 across the firm’s footprint of 20 offices in 12 Western states and Washington, D.C. She also uses her extensive knowledge of government relations, public affairs and communications to run Strategies 360’s education division.

A passionate advocate for child welfare and public education, Karen manages a wide range of projects, from directing voter campaigns to crafting policy at the state and federal level to implementing grassroots efforts and conducting media outreach. She was instrumental in the recent creation of the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families to better serve the state’s most vulnerable young people, and has helped local school districts across Washington pass bonds and levies to improve the lives of schoolchildren.

Before joining S360, Karen worked at two other consulting firms and as deputy state director for Sen. Patty Murray, where she oversaw outreach with constituents and helped develop legislative responses, appropriations requests and grant support for Washington communities. During the Clinton administration, she worked as a member of the White House advance team on trips by officials to the Pacific Northwest. She has served on the boards of the Municipal League of King County, EarthCorps, Washington Wilderness Coalition and the Wilderness Volunteer Corps.

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Karen holds a master’s degree in educational policy analysis from Stanford University and a B.A. in sociology from William Smith College. An avid trail-runner, downhill skier and stand-up paddleboarder, Karen lives in Seattle with her husband, Colin, and their two sons. She can frequently be found pacing the sidelines of her sons’ soccer tournaments.