GRAND RAPIDS – Karen Wolf has been named Project Manager for West Michigan’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development project, a collaboration between West Michigan and the U.S. Department of Labor to provide innovative strategies for developing the region’s workforce to excel in the emerging “innovation economy.”
Wolf, a business executive with an extensive background in marketing and international business, will manage the three-year project’s major initiatives. She will report to a WIRED Policy Council consisting of 15 West Michigan leaders organized by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance, the grantee for WIRED West Michigan.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Karen?s caliber facilitate this project,” said West Michigan Strategic Alliance President Greg Northrup. “The West Michigan WIRED initiative will be making investments to improve the skills our region needs to be competitive and participate in the innovation economy. With her leadership experience, Karen is well suited for this role and we are extremely pleased to welcome her.”
Wolf comes to the WIRED project after serving as Vice President at The Right Place, a non-profit economic development organizations, and Regional Director of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center for 17 counties in West Michigan. Wolf’s business experience includes president of Marine Specialties Group (MSG), a leading provider of soft-surface materials and design services to original equipment manufacturers.
Prior to MSG, Wolf was the president of Topdeq Corp., an international mail order and internet distributor of contemporary European office furniture and accessories. In that role, she established the first venture of Topdeq Holding GmbH in the United States.
She has also served in various positions with Steelcase including president of Steelcase International, where she was responsible for product development, marketing, manufacturing, sales and distribution activities in more than 150 countries. Wolf earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Michigan State University where she graduated first in her class and her Masters Degree in Management from Aquinas College.
