Karin Buckner

Experience

• 

  Stanford University

  Mar 2011 - Jun 2017

  • Executed all annual events through agile project management methodology, including the Annual Recognition, Wellness Fair, Harvest Festival & Cardinal Walk, reaching 5,000+ attendees and increasing attendance by 21%.• Championed for employee satisfaction across a decentralized organization, and served as the voice of the customer in all program development meetings.• Increased customer touchpoints: launched a customer support live chat service--825 chats in first 4 months. Decreased phone call volume by 38%. Created new events, & updated website FAQ's with program changes.• Analyzed CRM data, employee surveys, and payroll output reports. Proposed program updates based on findings.• Supervised and managed the customer service team, and their frontline phone/email/live chat customer contact, and resolved all escalated customer issues. • Headed projects from conception to launch, on time and within budget: appointment text message reminders, improved user events calendar, and a simplified UI design for employee's login webpage.• Developed and delivered a BeWell program presentation for Stanford New Hire Orientation, resulting in a 66% new employee enrollment rate, 17% higher than the overall employee population enrollment. Show less

  • Assistant Director of Program Management

    Sept 2013 - Jun 2017

  • Administrative Associate for Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies Academic Programs

    Mar 2011 - Sept 2013
• 

  California School Employees Association

  Jan 2021 - Aug 2023

  Spearheaded the strategy, planning, and implementation of the Annual Conference of Delegates for 1800+ in-person attendees over five days with a budget of $1.3M. Orchestrated an additional 30+ events annually.Led a team of eleven staff–three managers, two event coordinators, one specialist, and five secretaries, each specialist in a wide array of programs, events, and services. Trained new staff, adjudicated complex event and program issues, and developed autonomous high-level performers.Maximized department efficiencies by implementing new technologies: paper to online event registration, capturing email metrics, new e-commerce site, and text message customer communication.Took calculated risks by interpreting program data, event evaluations, and current market trends for new business development. Successfully grew event participation during the 2020 pandemic from 1800 to 3200 members.Secured sponsor relationships with third-party companies to double annual revenues from $300k to $600k.Aligned board of directors with association event strategy through board reports, board presentations, and committee meeting management.Forged relationships with new event vendors to negotiate new cost-saving contracts, and keep old vendors honest on pricing, saving the business and chapters hundreds of thousands of dollars. Show less

  • Director, Member Benefits & Services

    Jun 2017 - Aug 2023

  • Project Manager, Member Management System

    Sept 2021 - Oct 2022

  • Interim Director, Training & Development

    Jan 2021 - Feb 2022
• 

  Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)

  Jan 2024 - now

  Senior Programs and Events Manager

  Event & Program Leadership: Strategically plan and execute high-impact events and training programs for the affordable housing sector.Conference Management: Successfully relocated NPH’s annual conference to Moscone Center in San Francisco within six weeks.Process Innovation: Researched and launched onsite badge printing to improve attendee experience and event efficiency.Workflow Optimization: Certified in Asana workflow management; led the rollout of organization-wide workflows to enhance project coordination in a remote environment.Cross-Department Collaboration: Work closely with communications, membership, and fund development teams to align events with organizational goals.Equity-Driven Programming: Integrate racial equity principles into event design and program development.Project & Vendor Management: Oversee logistics, vendor contracts, budgets, and stakeholder engagement to ensure successful execution.Industry Engagement: Lead capacity-building and networking initiatives, including leadership events and training programs. Show less