Karen VanAusdal
Senior Program Officer
she/her
As senior program officer, Karen VanAusdal helps lead Polk Bros. Foundation’s grantmaking for the Building Community Wealth Across Generations goal. She joined the Foundation in 2025 and draws on her experience advancing educational opportunity, youth development and systems change to inform the Foundation’s efforts to expand opportunity, deepen learning and connection and strengthen communities across Chicago. Before joining Polk Bros. Foundation, Karen served as vice president of practice at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), where she oversaw the support and expansion of social and emotional learning in school districts across the United States and internationally. Previously, she was the inaugural director of Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Social and Emotional Learning, helping shape districtwide policies and practices to better support students’ well-being and success. Earlier in her career, Karen was an elementary school teacher in the Washington, D.C., area and worked with Peace First to develop a holistic student support model in Boston Public Schools.
