Meet the BuildHERs: Karen Calder
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Meet Karen Calder, executive director of Classroom Central and a featured voice on the Women Leading in Charlotte executive panel at BuildHER.
Karen has spent 24 years helping Classroom Central provide teachers and students with the free resources they need to succeed. But there’s another side of her that may surprise people who only know her professionally: “I’m also an artist.”
After turning 60, Karen decided to reconnect with a creative side that had been “dormant for a really long time.” Through a project she calls The Paper Graces, she transforms written worries and stressors into tiny works of art, then leaves them in unexpected places for others to find. Her goal is to create 365 pieces to “encourage other women to carve out time for themselves” and do something that brings them joy. Follow her journey on Instagram: @thepapergraces.
That willingness to take a chance has shaped Karen’s career, too. When she was offered the opportunity to lead Classroom Central, she had never run a nonprofit or held an executive-level position. “This was the biggest career leap I’ve ever taken,” she says. But she bet on herself, jumped in and helped build something extraordinary.
Her advice for other women? Don’t assume exceptional work will speak for itself. “If we don’t advocate for ourselves, it’s going to be tough to convince somebody else to advocate for us.”
Karen is encouraged by the women she sees confidently taking up space, and believes more should do the same. “We’ve got to not minimize ourselves,” she says. “We’ve got to speak up and we’ve got to make our goals and ambitions known.”
And if you’re waiting until you feel completely ready to make your next move? Karen’s advice is simple: “Just take a gamble and bet on yourself.”
Join Karen at BuildHER on Nov. 13 for the Women Leading in Charlotte executive panel and learn how to advocate for yourself, embrace new opportunities and bet on your potential.
Meet More BuildHERs
Keep getting to know the women of BuildHER through the stories, experiences and unexpected details that make each of them unique.