Karen Dodson

Special Assistant for Development Initiatives  

Karen worked at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Foundation from May 2014 to January 2019 where she held a variety of positions in the area of development and finance. Karen returned to the Foundation in September 2022 to assume the role of Special Assistant for Development Initiatives. A native Bostonian, Karen is a graduate of Boston College and a former intelligence officer at the Central Intelligence Agency. She commenced work at the CIA in 1985 and held a variety of occupations including reference/acquisitions librarian, budget and planning officer, and contracting manager. In her 17 years with ‘the Agency’ Karen traveled to Germany, Eastern Europe, China, and the Middle East concluding her career by accompanying her husband on a two-year assignment in Brasilia, Brazil. In 2004, Karen resigned from the CIA and moved to Staunton, VA to raise her three children. During this time Karen held several volunteer positions at her church and in the community. She loves swimming, reading, and traveling.

Contact Karen at:

(540) 885-0897 ext. 113

kdodson@woodrowwilson.org