Karen Simpson is a seasoned federal executive with over 27 years of public service, recognized for her visionary leadership in strategic planning, digital transformation, workforce development, and enterprise learning systems. As the Branch Chief of AgLearn at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Chief Information Officer, Karen leads one of the federal government’s most expansive learning and development platforms—AgLearn—serving more than 140,000 USDA employees and several interagency clients, including the Export-Import Bank of the United States, U.S. Agency for Global Media, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Karen is a driving force behind AgLearn’s transformation from a compliance-based training tool to a modern, user-focused hub for personal and professional development. She has spearheaded the development of the program’s first five-year strategic plan, increased visibility through internal communication initiatives, and enhanced platform engagement through the creation of the Occupational Resources Series. Her team also leverages Salesforce Marketing Cloud to deliver targeted communication to thousands of administrators, deepening user impact.
Karen manages a 15 million dollar annual budget—entirely funded through interagency agreements—and leads a 24-member team of information technology professionals, ensuring platform performance, innovation, and alignment with USDA’s broader IT goals. She holds senior-level Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC-P/PM) credentials and serves as AgLearn’s official Investment Manager, overseeing a program that is designated a major IT investment under OMB guidelines.
Her earlier leadership roles at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) further reflect her deep expertise in federal learning policy, program design, mentoring systems, and regulatory guidance. At OPM, she directed government-wide initiatives such as the Mentoring Hub, the Interagency Rotations Program, and workforce policy reforms in response to GAO reports. She authored several key resources—including the Continued Service Agreement (CSA) Fact Sheet and Federal Mentoring Program Guidelines—which are still referenced by agencies today.
Karen holds a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her commitment to excellence has been recognized with numerous USDA Performance and Cash Awards, most recently in November 2024.
She currently serves on the Skillsoft Advisory Board and is actively seeking board opportunities where she can apply her expertise in technology, education, government, and sustainability to support strategic growth and innovation. Open to working with organizations of any size or revenue, Karen brings strengths in stakeholder management, financial planning, policy development, and solutions implementation.
Beyond her professional achievements, Karen lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and two teenage children. She is passionate about fitness, swimming, spin classes, hiking, and weightlifting, and finds joy in the theater and film. She lives by the guiding principle: “Do your best to serve the people.”
Character: Karen Simpson demonstrates integrity, commitment to public service, and a people-centered approach, consistently striving to serve others with excellence and purpose.
Knowledge: With over 27 years of federal experience, she possesses deep expertise in workforce development, learning technologies, federal policy, and enterprise program management.
Strategic: Karen leads with a visionary mindset, having spearheaded multi-year strategic plans, major IT investments, and transformational learning initiatives across large federal systems.
Communication: She is an effective communicator who fosters stakeholder collaboration, drives visibility through targeted outreach, and simplifies complex initiatives for broad engagement.
