Business Summit for Early Learning

Karen R. Elzey
Vice President and Executive Director
U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW)

Institute for a Competitive Workforce is a 501(c)3 nonprofit affiliate dedicated to strengthening the nation’s educational standards and the quality of its workforce. ICW promotes high educational standards and effective workforce training systems so that they are aligned with each other and with today’s rigorous business demands.

Karen Elzey leads ICW in helping chambers of commerce, businesses, and trade associations address their human capital needs, and she is the committee executive for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Education, Employment, and Training Committee. Further, she advances policy positions and promotes public-private partnerships to ensure that businesses remain competitive in a global economy.

Elzey serves on the boards and advisory committees of the National Information and Communication Technology Literacy Policy Council; the American Association of Community College’s Advisory Committee for the Plus 50 Initiative; the U.S. Steering Committee for the China-U.S. Conference on Workforce Development; and the National Institute for Literacy’s Workforce Basic Skills Expert Working Group.

Before coming to the U.S. Chamber in 2002, Elzey worked as the business and education partnership coordinator for Greater Lafayette Progress Inc. (now known as the Economic Development Council of Greater Lafayette Commerce.) Other work experience includes serving as a marketing and communications assistant for the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and teaching English as a Second Language in Poland.

Elzey has more than 15 years of experience in the areas of workforce development, public-private partnerships, and project management. She has a B.A. in American studies and a master’s in sports administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She completed the Executive Leadership Program at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business