Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Karen Ballard, ’00 M.S.A. ’02, attributes her continued success to the relationships and solid foundation she received at CMU.

She most recently served as the program and event specialist in alumni relations at Oakland University. She previously worked for Spelman College student activities office and the Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit as a marketing specialist.

She is a member of the Young Professionals of Rochester Planning Committee for the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce. She volunteers for the Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit, and she is a member of the Motown Writers Network.

Apart from her background in event planning, nonprofit administration, and student services, Karen is a published poet and author of Sugawords: Poetic Memoirs, and she owns a publishing and media company, Pink Street Publishing.

From 2000 through 2004 she worked for CMU and played roles in the university’s Upward Bound program. She has served as an instructor for the summer academy and has coordinated the Summer Bridge Scholars program, encouraging and motivating students making their transition to college life.

"Karen continues to reach out to others both personally and professionally," wrote her nominator. "She is a real model of someone who gets a degree and uses it to enhance the lives of others."