Budget Season Compensation Management Webinar

Karen has been directly involved in strategic and tactical management effecting workplace performance and practices since 1990.

Since joining Western Growers in 2003, she is responsible for recruiting/hiring, compensation management including the pay-for-performance-3A+ system, career development/succession planning, employee relations, health benefits including qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, safety, payroll processing, field office facilities, training and development. Karen is the current chairperson of the Western Growers Retirement Security Plan Advisory Board overseeing the management of the Multiple Employer Plan, with over $100 million plus in retirement plan assets.

Karen graduated (cum laude) from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the College of Education & Human Services in Workforce Education and Development. She earned a Master of Art degree in Management (MAM) from the University of Redlands where the graduate school’s curriculum emphasized organizational psychology and human resources management.

Karen holds the most senior HR professional certifications from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

In 2007, Karen began teaching the Arbinger Institute’s courses including Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset, Outward Leadership and Outward Inclusion. WG inculcates Arbinger’s philosophy by operationalizing it in performance management, goal setting, conversations on difficult subjects and more.

Karen grew up in Chicago and moved to San Diego where her spouse was stationed, on various vessels, during a 20-year U.S. Navy career. Karen and her husband Dan have two grown daughters, Danielle and Kara.

Mr. Manns is a CPA and Vice President of Industry Insights, Inc., headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. Industry Insights has been a trusted research partner and advisor for associations since 1980. Industry Insights specializes in providing data analytics and research services for associations and their members.

Mr. Manns has directed more than 400 research projects during his tenure at Industry Insights and leads WGA’s Compensation and Benefits Study. Over the past 28+ years, his studies have been cited in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and numerous association journals. He earned a Master of Science degree in Economics from Purdue University. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), National Association of Business Economists (NABE), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).