Karen M. Petersen ’77

Legacy Giving Manager

• Phone: 309-794-7456
• Email: KarenPetersen@augustana.edu
• Office: Sorensen Hall

Karen M. Petersen is the legacy giving manager in the Office of Advancement. She works with alumni around the country to strengthen their estate plans to support all aspects of the strategic plan. Previously, Karen’s focus was in working with alumni in the Chicago and Denver areas. She continues to work to support all aspects of Advancement. 

Prior to working in Advancement, Karen launched the CORE Career Development office and served as the director of employer relations and internships within CORE since its inception in 2014. She had directed all domestic internship programs as well as programs in Australia, New Zealand and London.

In focusing her efforts to build employer relations, she launched the flagship Handshake career platform which serves students, employers, and staff. The efforts of the employer relations team resulted in 77 percent engagement of students on Handshake, and an eight-fold increase in job/internship postings for students. 

Prior to taking a lead in CORE, Petersen taught marketing and new product classes in the college's Department of Business Administration, and led the initiative to build Senior Inquiry (capstone) and academic internships within the department.

She has presented at past National Society of Experiential Education (NSEE) and MWACE conferences in 2016, 2015 and 2009. She was a regular presenter in campus workshops and internship seminars for students and faculty. In 2016, she graduated from the NSEE Experiential Education Academy, and was invited to instruct workshops for NSEE. 

Petersen is ABD in higher education administration at Illinois State University. She holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and bachelor of arts in business administration and psychology from Augustana. In addition, she has earned a leadership certificate from Northwestern University. She is continuing her education through coursework at The Fund Raising School in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University Indianapolis. 

Karen is married with two grown children and three grandchildren.

Specializations: Advancement