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Builder / Strategist / Founder

Karen
Schoellkopf.

I help organizations build things that don't exist yet: a big idea, real urgency, and no playbook. I figure out what to build, make a plan, and get it moving.

That's looked different over 25 years: founding a national nonprofit where I testified before Congress and cowrote a policy brief with The Aspen Institute, joining startups before they got big, and consulting on strategy for Samsung, Verizon, and Spotify.

View Projects

Three kinds of work I help organizations with

Launches

Building something from scratch

You secured funding for an idea, and now you need someone to shape it into a strategy and a product or program people actually use.

Running internal experiments

Your organization wants to test new ideas but your innovation team is lean. You need someone who can take experiments from concept to proof of concept.

Turnarounds

Fixing what isn't working

You're past the idea stage but it's not working the way you thought it would, and you need someone to diagnose the problem and help fix it.

Re-envisioning a program

You built something that worked for its original audience, but the landscape has shifted and you've hit a ceiling with your current approach. You need someone to rethink the strategy without blowing up what works.

Pivots

Exploring options at a crossroads

You'd like to explore options, both viable and risky. You need someone to help you scenario-plan, pressure-test each path, and create a clearer picture of what the way forward can actually look like.

Implementing AI thoughtfully

Your organization has an AI mandate but nobody's sure how to implement it thoughtfully. I get into the weeds of what you do and build a plan with your team that everyone can apply confidently.

How I'm thinking about AI

AI is at a real moment of flux. I care about equitable and responsible use: deciding what to adopt, who's at the table, and who's affected by how it gets used.

Some of what that's looked like in practice:

  • Wrote Leap Fund's organizational AI policy in 2023

  • Prototyped AI tools using internal data, to understand what could be useful for the team

  • Now building full-stack prototypes using Claude Code

I want to be in the rooms where organizations are deciding how, when, and if their teams, stakeholders, and constituents interact with AI.

How we can work together

Project-based consulting

You have a specific problem or initiative and need someone to help you develop the work to a specific milestone or launch.

Fractional leadership

Ongoing strategic support and thought partnership. Open to short and longer term engagements, full time for the right role.

See my values and how I work →

Experience

I've spent 25+ years at the intersection of product, strategy, and "we'll figure it out."

Leap Fund

Founder & CEO (2018-2024), Strategic Advisor (2024-Present)

Founded and scaled one of the nation's first platforms addressing benefits cliffs, creating a fintech product, educational programs, and employer partnerships from scratch. Testified before U.S. House Rules Committee, presented at Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Featured in The New York Times. Secured $2M+ in competitive grant funding.

Prior Roles

  • Chief Product Officer

    VoteRunLead

  • Head of Community

    Justworks

  • Product/Strategy Lead

    Harvest & WalkaboutNYC

  • Strategy Consultant

    Samsung, Verizon, Target, Spotify

See selected case studies →

Want to explore a project together?

I'd love to hear what you're working on and how we might build together.