About Karen McCullough

Karen McCullough knows people, she knows trends and she knows how things work. Through her study of human behavior, relationships, trends (social media), and technology Karen has tapped into an innovative model that opens people’s minds to change. Karen teaches you the essential skills needed to manage and motivate your employees and yourself. Her approach is practical, her message is relevant and she provides you the tools necessary to improve and succeed.                                                

Before becoming a business keynote speaker and consultant, Karen spent many years in fashion retail. As the owner and CEO of a 4 store retail chain, Karen receive 20+ years experience in marketing, brand building (personal and business) , driving sales, leadership development, building customer loyalty and managing a diverse team. Over the past 10 years Karen has worked with the top organizations presenting customized programs centered around change, personal branding, customer service, emerging leadership development, sales, teambuilding, productivity and generational management.

Some of Karen's clients include: Procter & Gamble, JPMorgan Chase, Symantec, The Inter Con group, Helms Briscoe, McGraw-Hill, National Homebuilders, Shell Oil, Exxon, Fluor, The World Bank, The US Department of Justice, and State Farm, Humana, HP, Oracle, United Way, American Heart Association and MD Anderson.

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Karen's Story

Karen began her career as the youngest employee at an upscale department store in Cleveland, Ohio, where her mother worked as the first female credit manager.  As a tribute to her infectious spirit, Karen was dubbed the store mascot.  She worked her way up in a number of roles for the company, eventually becoming a sales associate in women’s fashion and later in menswear.

Karen’s entrepreneurial spirit ignited and she began pursuing her passion by opening an Art Gallery in San Antonio, Texas while simultaneously raising her young family. She later worked for two of the world’s most powerful fashion brands, Ralph Lauren and The Limited where she first started analyzing the internal culture of large organizations — both what fuels them and what holds them back.  She applied what she learned and launched her own retail business, which she grew from one store into a multimillion dollar chain of four stores. In 1997, after selling the business, Karen became a retail marketing and branding consultant.

For the next three years, she energized business owners and executives to approach their work and their life with a fresh, new attitude.  Key strategies for growth positioned her clients for future success.

Karen realized that her greatest impact was through developing numerous programs for her clients.  She was encouraged to take her message to a broader business audience.  Today, Karen's speaking career has benefited many Fortune 500 companies, associations and small business.  She is frequently sought after to coach emerging and seasoned speakers.

Awards and Organizations

In 2006, Karen received the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional designation, which has been bestowed upon fewer than 7% of the 5,000 speakers who belong to the International Federation of Professional Speakers. She has been honored with multiple awards, including the Toastmasters International Communications and Leadership Award and the John Wolf Award for speaking excellence.

Karen is an active member of the National Speakers Association and served as president of the Houston chapter in 2006.  She is active in Dress for Success and The Woman’s Home. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio State University where she also performed graduate work in education.