Karen is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Hope College. She formerly taught in the Chemistry Department at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Karen assumed the Consortium Directorship in August ’06. She has visited all of the member campuses in 2007 and 2008 to discuss consortium program strengths and potential program enhancements. In addition to her work with the Consortium, Karen is the Director of the Research Experiences Across Cultures at Hope (REACH) program that invites Holland-area high school students and teachers to come to Hope's campus for a paid 6-week research experience during the summer. The summer of 2009 is the fourth summer of the REACH program, and we have 17 students and 2 teachers participating.

Marlene has served as the Consortium’s Program Assistant for six years. She does most of the behind-the-scenes work for the workshops and symposia.