Conference Speaker
KarenA Clark
As a CONFIDENCE COACH since 2020, KarenA’s mission has been to teach women to cultivate the CONFIDENCE needed to thrive in every aspect of life. She helps women identify and release the barriers standing in their way of success by assisting them in developing their most effective and powerful voices for use in personal and professional settings.
As a PRODUCER & ENTERTAINER she and partner Timothy Morganfield acquired The Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles in 2022. They curate and develop experiences in jazz, blues, hip hop and R&B musical events; providing end-to-end production management. Streaming, recording, audio and visual mixing are available. KarenA produces her musical shows as a singer-songwriter. Her last CD is available on iTunes and next release is in 2025. She is a commercial artist ~ No on Prop 21 (Homeowner) and 1800Flowers (Mama) recently.
As a former CORPORATE EXECUTIVE, KarenA stepped out of Corporate America in May of 2024 after 40 years of service. She left City National Bank as a senior vice president, and over a 13-year tenure there, she launched 10 employee resource groups; the 1st unconscious bias program; the 1st company-wide mentoring program; the 1st digital marketing series; the 1st business-influencer campaign. She led the integrated marketing campaign to open the 1st brick and mortar branch in an LMI community. Under her direction, the bank achieved the Nat’l Diversity Council’s Top Employers of Hispanic Leaders 2021; Forbes Best Places for Diversity 2018; and Forbes Best Places for Women in 2020-2021.
KarenA’s management career began in commercial real estate at Bank of America, where she became part of a leadership team to resolve a $7b portfolio of non-performing assets. That assignment led to 4 years as an international trainer on inclusivity and bottom-line productivity for managers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the United States. After Bank of America, KarenA joined Operation HOPE as development director and grew the organization to 11 fully funded cities; grew the budget by 300%; and tremendously diversified funding sources.
KarenA is a PHILANTHROPIST including board service for the CA Jazz &Blues Museum, Streetlights, Educating Young Minds, Vermont Slauson Economic Dev. Corporation, PCR Business Advisory, L.A. Women’s Theatre Festival; MLK Community Hospital Dream Foundation.
Recent acknowledgments of KarenA’s dedication to humankind include: 2024 ~ TEDx S Central – Daniel Award / 2023 ~ Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corp – Award of Community Excellence / 2022 ~ L.A. Times - DEI & Access Leader / 2022 ~ Savoy Magazine & Media - 300 Most Influential Black Execs in Corporate America / 2022 ~ Diversity Woman Magazine -Class of Elite 100 / 2022 ~ City National CEO’s Team Award / 2021 ~ National Congress Black Woman – Shirley Chisolm Award / 2021 ~ KJLH Radio – Proven Achievers Award
Education:
Harvard Business School ~ Integrated Marketing Management 2016
Columbia Business School ~ Digital Marketing 2019
CA State University ~ BA Economics 1990’s