Karen Fletcher, MBA

Biography

(NORDP Consultant since 2023)

Karen is the Director of Grants Resources & Services in the Office of Research at Appalachian State University where she delivers grantsmanship and mentoring programming; consults on internal grant policy and procedures; monitors research funding initiatives and external funding opportunities for strategic positioning of the university; coordinates university wide research events and Program Officer visits; co-leads for the research strategic planning initiative at Appalachian; and leads a professional team with related responsibilities. She previously held the role of Proposal Development Coordinator and Pre-Award Services Manager at Coastal Carolina University where she created a proposal development program.

Karen received a grant from the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) in 2017 to fund preparation for Appalachian Research Experiences, a grant mentoring program. She was on the Board of Directors of NORDP from 2016-20; and was vice president/president/immediate past president from 2018-2021. She was named a NORDP Fellow in 2023, which recognizes the long-term accomplishments of members who have made sustained contributions to NORDP and worked tirelessly to advance research development as a profession. She holds a grant writing certificate from the University of South Carolina, earned her MBA at Coastal Carolina University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Public Relations from the University of Hartford.