Board Member

Ms. Karen Bruett

Advising Director

She has over 20 years experience in the Education and Public Sector Markets (K12, Higher Education, State/Local Government). She is currently Director, Strategic Alliances and Marketing
Council of Chief State School Officers. Bruett is also 17-year veteran of Dell, Inc, where she held a variety of executive positions including Vice President of K12 US Sales, Vice President of K12 Solutions and Alliances, and Director of Education Marketing.

Karen Bruett joined the Council of Chief State School Officers in 2008 following a 20 year career in Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. She has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communications from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, with an emphasis on sales, marketing communications, and business strategy.

Bruett is a 17 year veteran of Dell, Inc, where she held a variety of executive positions including Vice President of K12 Sales, Vice President of K12 Solutions and Alliances, and Director of Education Marketing. In these roles she was responsible for business planning, sales strategy, channel strategy, the development of technology solutions, education and community outreach programs, industry alliances and partnerships, marketing programs, public relations and customer communications

Bruett has served on the board, or in an advisory capacity for numerous non-profit, education related organizations including: The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Project Tomorrow/Net Day Speak Up, CoSN, the State Education Technology Director’s Association, Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Her passion is working with business and industry to build mutually beneficial relationships that improve learning opportunities for all students.

In these roles she was responsible for business planning, sales strategy, channel strategy, the development of technology solutions, education and community outreach programs, industry alliances and partnerships, marketing programs and customer communications. Her expertise is in the area of business development, strategic marketing, sales leadership, value proposition development, and marketing. Bruett was also a founding board member and former Chair of the Partnership for 21 st Century Skills, served on the CEO Forum for Educational Technology, and is passionate about working with business and industry to build profitable and mutually beneficial relationships. Currently she serves as senior marketing advisor to the E-Luminate group, an education marketing consulting group specialized in marketing communications and market leadership services. She has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin.