Karen Hough

Karen Hough is the Founder & CEO of ImprovEdge, the first company in the world to combine behavioral research with the art of improvisation to deliver business training with an improv twist. Since 1998, ImprovEdge has provided leadership development and coaching for over a million people on five continents, both in-person and virtually.  Karen is a #1 Amazon bestselling author, recipient of the Silver Stevie International Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year, the Athena PowerLink Award for outstanding woman-owned business and the Outstanding Businesswoman award from the WNBA. A Yale graduate, Karen’s first life was as a professional improviser and actor. She trained with Chicago’s Second City, did over 100 theatrical productions, and was featured in radio, TV and film. She lived a second life as a successful corporate executive in network engineering with one of the first tech startups to go public. Finally, her passion for leadership development brought those two worlds together with the launch ImprovEdge. She is a Certified Speaking Professional, an active philanthropist, and Karen serves as

trustee on several boards. She has three grown children and lives with her husband and labrador in Ohio.