Event Details

Jackie Harman

Jackie holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Florida State University. She began her career as a financial analyst before transitioning into education as a classroom teacher and staff development leader, and later spent nearly a decade advancing business development, content strategy, and partnerships for learning businesses and associations. She is passionate about helping organizations deliver high-quality, impactful learning experiences.

As a Senior Accreditation Specialist, Jackie supports organizations in navigating the IACET accreditation process. She works with applicants and Commissioners throughout the application lifecycle, helps facilitate workshops and webinars, and manages core accreditation systems and resources. Jackie also leads discovery calls, develops case studies that highlight the impact of accreditation, and contributes to business development initiatives that expand IACET’s reach.

Karen LaMarsh

Karen holds a degree in Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and earned both her Master’s and Doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Georgia. Her career reflects over two decades of progressive leadership in adult, continuing, and professional education across the state of Georgia.

Her professional experience includes:

• Eight years with the College of Continuing and Professional Education at Kennesaw State University, where she contributed to program development and learner engagement.
• Two years as an internal auditor for the Board of Regents, University System of Georgia, ensuring compliance and operational effectiveness.
• Eight years as Executive Director of Continuing and Professional Education at Clayton State University, where she led strategic initiatives and operational growth.

Karen has served at the state level as Chair of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Administrative Committee on Public Service and Continuing Education for three years. She also held multiple leadership positions with the Georgia Adult Education Association, including Vice President for Programs, President, Past President, and Member-at-Large.

In her commitment to staying at the forefront of workforce and economic development, Karen served on the Atlanta Regional Commission Workforce Development Board, chairing the NextGen (Youth) Committee. She contributed her expertise to regional initiatives through involvement with the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Metro Atlanta Exchange for Workforce Solutions (MAX), High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI), One Henry Workforce, and Clayton County Schools CTAE committees.

As a staunch advocate for excellence in adult learning, Karen is a Commissioner with the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), where she also served as Chair of the Commission. She has facilitated national workshops, assisting organizations in developing policies and procedures that meet IACET’s rigorous compliance standards.

Her passion lies in designing high-quality learning experiences that empower adults to reach their professional goals. This passion led her to serve for five years as the Chief Accreditation Officer at IACET—her dream role—where she ensured educational integrity and continuous improvement across numerous providers.

Karen currently works as a consultant advising organizations, companies, universities, and colleges that aim to deliver impactful, high-quality continuing and professional education while maintaining efficient and compliant operations.