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Karen Sippel

Karen Sippel is the Managing Director of the Maryland Women’s Business Center, a program at Rockville Economic Development, Inc. She brings decades of strategy and leadership experience at entrepreneur support organizations, nonprofits, and global corporations.

Karen joined REDI after co-founding and serving as Managing Director of the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC), a capacity building program that empowers entrepreneurs with access to high-quality business management lessons and mentorship opportunities. Under her leadership for five years, this 12-month hybrid learning program directly impacted more than 1,000 women business owners across 52 African countries, enabling them to increase revenues, improve business management skills, and hire more employees.

Prior to creating AWEC, Karen built a career that spanned communications, marketing, and business management. For more than 15 years, Karen led communications campaigns at the world’s largest public affairs firms and venture capital-funded tech startups. In between these roles, she founded and led two successful small businesses.

Karen is a (nearly) lifelong resident of Maryland and volunteers extensively in her community serving youth-focused organizations.

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