Karen Hardy earned her doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Human Resource Development from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She holds an MBA and earned a BA degree in journalism from the Hampton University. She has contributed to and written over 10 books on business, leadership, personal development, and risk management.

Dr. Hardy served as a scholar for the IBM Center for the Business of Government and as an Advisor to the National Academy of Public Administration.

She is the recipient of the Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Academic Authors Association and is creator/host of an award-winning podcast. Her scholarly work has been cited in numerous publications including the Journal of Applied Economic Sciences; Global Business and Organizational Excellence Review, Journal of Operational Risk, and the Journal of Managerial Psychology.

She has published works in practitioner publications such as Fed Tech Magazine, Public Sector Digest and The Public Manager.

Dr. Hardy is also an award-winning film producer and has invested in storytelling projects. In 2018, she produced the documentary "A New Leash on Life:  The K9s for Warriors Story," which won 4 EMMY Awards.