Karen P. Summey
Conover, North Carolina
828.466.1822
karen@karensummey.com

Professional Experience


Appalachian State University Center at Hickory (formerly Hickory Metro Higher Ed Center); Hickory, North Carolina - July 2009 to Present (internal transition)
Appalachian State University Center at Hickory is a center of Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. The mission of the partnership is to support and enhance the educational attainment and economic development of the region by offering a broad range of programming in targeted areas of study as needed and requested by the community. The Center offers numerous baccalaureate and graduate programs during weekdays, evenings and weekends, as well as non-degree programming during daytime hours, and employs eight full-time staff members.

Program Manager (2009 to Present) - Represent, promote, and market the Center's services locally and regionally. Develop, market and manage Prime Life Ed-Ventures, a lifelong learning program for those in mid-life and beyond (45+). Provide content management and uploads to Prime Life Ed-Ventures website. Manage program budget. Collect, interpret, and prepare programming needs and evaluation data; generate reports. Coordinate with appropriate community organizations and services. Write and publish the Center's general newsletter. Develop and deliver keynote addresses and presentations about the Center and its offerings. Seek community sponsors and prepare grant proposals. Serve as a member of the Center's Marketing Committee; develop marketing and promotional materials. Write and distribute press releases.


Hickory Metro Higher Ed Center or HMHEC; Hickory, North Carolina - October 2004 to July 2009
HMHEC is a collaborative partnership of Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina; Catawba Valley Community College, Hickory, North Carolina; Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, North Carolina; Mountain State University, Beckley, West Virginia; Northwest AHEC (Area Health Education Center), a unit of Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina; Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, and Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The mission of HMHEC is to support and enhance the educational attainment and economic development of the region by offering a broad range of programming in targeted areas of study as needed and requested by the community. The Center offers numerous baccalaureate and graduate programs during evenings and weekends, as well as non-degree programming during daytime hours, and employs five full-time staff members. Other organizations offering programming at the center include Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, North Carolina; NC State University, Raleigh, North Carolina;UNC Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina; Duke University Continuing Studies, Durham, North Carolina; the Foothills Chapter of APICS; Catawba County Chamber of Commerce; and numerous state agencies headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. As the first higher education center in the state, the center enjoys a high profile in the western half of North Carolina and is gaining notoriety across the entire state.

Business Programs and Conference Manager (2004 to 2009) - Represent, promote, and market HMHEC's services locally, regionally, and statewide. Market, develop, and manage daytime conferences and business programs. Identify regional business needs and opportunities for daytime usage of the facility. Communicate and problem solve with the business community, internal staff, and participating educational providers in the development of business and conference programming. Collect, interpret, and prepare programming needs and evaluation data; generate reports. Coordinate with appropriate community organizations and services. Write and publish the HMHEC quarterly newsletter. Develop and deliver keynote addresses and presentations about HMHEC, business training, etc. Prepare and present reports to the Advisory Council, Managing Board, and current funding sources. Serve as a member of the Advisory Council, Marketing Committee, and Educational Programming Committee; chair the Educational Programming Sub-Committee for Non-Degree Programming. Serve as a member of the HMHEC Web Committee. Site coordinator for Duke University Continuing Studies Nonprofit Management Program. Member UNC Chapel Hill Advisory Board for development of A su salud - a beginner's course in Spanish for healthcare professionals.


Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC); Hickory, North Carolina - May 2003 to October 2004

Special Projects Manager/Consultant (2003 to 2004) - Researched and developed projects as directed by President of the college. Conducted feasibility studies. Surveyed employers, small businesses, and prospective students for completion of curriculum program applications. Worked with elected and appointed officials to advocate proposed projects; maintained communications network. Worked with elected and appointed officials to advocate proposed projects; maintained communications network. Worked with North Carolina Community College System office to identify and evaluate new statewide and/or regional opportunities and sources of funding. Chaired planning team meetings with local public school leadership. Developed project promotional materials as directed by President. Provided writing services for grants, proposals, and speeches. Served on campus I.T. committee and website re-design sub-committee. Wrote and edited content for campus Internet and Intranet sites. Provided web development publication assistance.

Continuing Education Instructor - Serve as continuing education instructor as contracted.


Resources on Call; Hickory, North Carolina - December 2001 to March 2002
Healthcare staffing agency, specializing in Radiology, Ultrasound, and Nursing; (Nursing Division closed March 2002)

Travel Nurse Recruiter - Recruited registered nurses for hospital-based contract positions in 50 states. Provided indirect off-site supervision for working nurses, including issues with hospital personnel, scheduling, employment contracts, salary negotiations, housing, travel, and assignment placement. Used extensive interviewing and screening techniques to qualify nurses for travel positions. Used screening data to match nurse requirements to job order parameters. Documented candidate information in established database, researched state nursing licensure procedures, tracked receipt of JCAHO audit documents, conducted background and reference checks, etc. Worked closely with internal healthcare facility contractor to determine assignment availability.


Corning Cable Systems; Hickory, North Carolina - October 1984 to August 2001
A leading manufacturer of fiber optic and copper communications systems for voice, data, and video network applications worldwide, with 14000 employees and $2.2 billion in annual revenue

Production Team Leader (2001) - Directly supervised 30 production employees, with dotted line responsibility for an additional 50. Managed safety, quality, and production issues daily. Coached and encouraged employees to meet or exceed requirements. Monitored and ensured adherence to operational procedures, notices of change, and other guidelines. Reported daily production status and data to managers, supervisors, and support staff. Conducted employee performance reviews, counseling sessions, and disciplinary actions. Effectively managed staffing levels during high/low periods of production demand to align profit and loss requirements.

Training Specialist (1991 to 2001) - Served as primary internal training consultant to 85 field sales account executives and sales management. Conducted ongoing analyses to determine training needs of individual field sales personnel. Provided effective turnkey management for sales training events in North Carolina and Texas operational areas, including classroom reservations, food services, instructor identification and contracts, session scheduling (conference style), equipment reservations, participant materials, promotions, evaluations, and management follow-up. Served as primary internal consultant, facilitator, and instructor to other corporate and manufacturing functional groups. Conducted ongoing analyses to determine training needs or other interventions. Recommended additions to training and departmental budgets to accomplish defined objectives; managed expenditures. Researched, recommended, and contracted with external providers. Developed and delivered training programs to employees at all levels. Provided turnkey management for training conferences and events. Served on special project teams: chaired Sales Training Effectiveness Continuous Improvement Team (executive/management level); chaired the Corporate Intranet Steering Committee (ad hoc); member of the Learning Center Advisory Council (ad hoc). (Promoted.)

Copywriter/Editor (1986 to 1991) - Wrote marketing and other business copy as directed. Edited and proofread company marketing and technical literature. Provided desktop publishing services for pre-press production of literature and promotional publications. Purchased external printing services. (Promoted.)

Sales Promotion Coordinator (1985 to 1986) - Selected and purchased promotional products within a $140,000 budget. Established relationships with external suppliers. Managed artwork development and sample proofing. Monitored and managed promotional budget.

Secretary/Clerk-Typist (1984 to 1985)


The Hickory Printing Group, Inc.; Hickory, North Carolina - December 1980 to February 1984
A leading commercial printer, specializing in pre-production processes, sheet-fed and web press printing, specialty packaging, etc. Locations in Hickory, Valdese, and High Point, NC.

Marketing Coordinator (1982 to 1984) - Produced self-promotional printed collateral for company. Used Lanier word processor to develop mailing lists, produce sales promotion letters and packets for mailing. Prepared large quantities of packets for bulk mailings. (Voluntarily left company to pursue new opportunities.)

Proofreader (1980 to 1982) - Pre-production proofreader for all printed materials produced in the Hickory location (headquarters) of the company. Materials ranged from simple business cards to major, full-color furniture catalogs. Responsible for copy-to-copy corrections, recommendations for copy editing, etc. (Promoted.)

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