Karen Gibson

Director of Strategic Initiatives

Karen Gibson has 30 years of experience in the energy/environment sphere, beginning in the Texas Legislature, where she served as Clerk for the Natural Resources Committee, and then as Research Analyst on the state’s natural resource agencies for the Appropriations Committee in the Texas House of Representatives. Upon moving to Massachusetts in 1997, she applied her convening and facilitation experience to a series of energy and environmental initiatives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2006, she was engaged in the establishment of the MIT Energy Initiative—managing the early outreach, communication, and governance efforts, in her role as Assistant Director for Member Relations.

In 2013, Karen returned to government, this time as director of a newly created office at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she ran two federal advisory committees that provided advice to the Secretary, in addition to two internal councils aimed at strengthening the strategic partnerships with the National Laboratories and promoting coordination across program offices within the Department. Karen currently serves on the Climate Action Committee in Concord, MA.