Karen Ashley

Karen Ashley is an accomplished professional in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), currently serving as Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Providence Health & Services since November 2022, having previously held the position of Associate Vice President for DEI at the same organization since August 2021. Prior experience includes serving as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at American Electric Power from December 2016 to June 2021, where Karen provided strategic leadership for enterprise-wide DEI initiatives. At Georgia Power Company, as Manager of Diversity and Inclusion from October 2007 to December 2016, responsibilities included engaging senior leaders and embedding DEI goals into various organizational processes. Earlier, Karen held the role of Director of Talent Management at Ashland Inc. from June 1999 to 2007, overseeing talent acquisition and development initiatives. Karen holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources Development from Webster University and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from the University of North Texas.