Karen Smith

Karen Smith, CPA, is the Chief Financial Officer of EdPlus at ASU, where she leads financial strategy, planning and reporting, enrollment modeling, and talent management for one of the nation’s largest digital education enterprises. She partners closely with executive leadership to translate growth ambition into measurable, financially sustainable outcomes.

With leadership experience spanning global industry and public research universities, Karen works at the intersection of mission, data, and disciplined execution to drive clear financial results. Prior to higher education, she held finance and procurement roles in mining and manufacturing—experiences that shaped her approach to capital deployment and durable enterprise value creation. She pairs entrepreneurial thinking with financial stewardship to design systems that align resources with strategy and strengthen performance.

Karen is passionate about access, innovation, and scalable models that expand opportunity for learners. She is a CPA and holds a PhD in Accounting and Quantitative Methods from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a BS from the University of Delaware.