Karen Czarnecki -  Volunteer Faculty at the Leadership Institute

Karen Czarnecki is the vice president of outreach for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where she oversees communications with executive and legislative branch officials and their staff and external organizations on Mercatus’ priority research issues.  

Karen was previously the director of education at the Law & Economics Center (LEC) at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. Karen has served as a Congressional chief of staff, an outreach and communications adviser, and has held senior-level positions in the federal government and the non-profit sector. Positions she has held include: director of the Office of the 21st Century Workforce and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the US Department of Labor; director of the Civil Justice and Health and Human Services Task Forces of the American Legislative Exchange Council; and director of executive branch liaison and state relations at the Heritage Foundation.  She has also served in two White House administrations.  

She is currently an adjunct professor at George Mason University, where she teaches a public policy seminar as part of the Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems for the Fund for American Studies.  Karen earned her BA and JD from The Catholic University of America.

Karen Czarnecki