Karen Nichols received her doctorate in Higher Education Policy and Administration through the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and has been with the Department of Social Work since 2000. She is responsible for managing Title IV-E and other externally funded projects, helping to develop new projects for the Center, and working with students on the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
Karen graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, and after three years working in Kenya and Tanzania, earned a Masters degree in Intercultural Administration at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. Before returning to Minnesota, Karen worked for 7 years as the Executive Director of the Foundation for the People of South Pacific Vanuatu, a non-profit NGO that supports the needs of indigenous people of Vanuatu.