Karen Naumann Blevins, MA, APR, PMP

Karen Naumann Blevins, APR, PMP is a multifaceted, seasoned practitioner with more than 25 years of communication experience. She is an educator, global program manager, industry leader and published author. She is an adjunct instructor and course developer in Crisis Communications at West Virginia University, where she instructs active military, earning a graduate degree. Recently, she spearheaded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice program’s contractual Communications team for which she developed the national outreach strategy supporting multi-billions of funds that Congress authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The allocation supported climate-improving projects in communities historically excluded from energy infrastructure decisions and on the front lines of climate change. In 2024, she also led a team providing senior-level communication support services at the Department of Homeland Security. In 2023, she was selected as project manager for a U.S. Army strategic communications and outreach contract focused on prevention, resiliency, and readiness. In 2022, she worked in South Korea as a Senior Strategic Communication Planner and Team Lead in support of the four-star-led UN Combined Forces Command at U.S. Forces Korea, where she developed communication strategy recommendations for command-wide and Republic of Korea allies. Before that, she was an executive at an established D.C. public relations firm. She has also worked in communication and digital diplomacy for the Government of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest United States. On behalf of the Government of Israel, she led strategic communication efforts in a six-state region.

She is frequently tapped as a speaker and facilitator for conferences and, events on topics ranging from Cognitive Biases and Crisis Communications to Strategic Communications and Persuasion. She is also a frequent contributor to national publications and a published author in public relations. Her innovative approach to military public affairs analysis can be found in Intercultural Public Relations. She was recently on the Board of Directors for Washington Women in Public Relations and is active in the Public Relations Society of America and the National Press Club. She is also a member of the United National Association of the National Capital Area, Information Professionals Association, Project Management Institute, Louisiana State Society, LSU Alumni – D.C. Chapter, National Association of Government Communicators, National Communication Association, and Grey Swan Guild.