Public Diplomacy
Karen Knudsen directs the Center’s News and Information operations, Arts Program, Associates (alumni) Office, program representatives in the region, EWC briefings for government officials (local, national and international), and community and public relations. Concurrent with her position at the EWC, she served as an elected member of the Hawai‘i State Board of Education from 1990 to 2010, serving in a leadership capacity for most of her term. Prior to joining the EWC, she worked in public affairs at the Hawai‘i State Judiciary and in public relations at Milici Valenti Ng Pak DDB Needham Advertising. She is a former Pacific area specialist with the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council and outreach coordinator for the University of Hawai‘i’s Center for Pacific Islands Studies. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. She holds an M.A. in Pacific Islands Studies from the University of Hawai‘i.