Karen Davis O’Hara has been named director of Kenai Peninsula College in Alaska. A unit of the University of Alaska Anchorage, the community college enrolls more than 2,400 students, according to its website.
Born and raised in Alaska, Dr. O’Hara previously spent more than two decades with California State University, Sacramento, where her research focused on children’s emotional development and its relation to psycho-biology. She served in several roles at the university, including professor, department chair, and associate dean of instruction and student success for the College of Education. More recently, Dr. O’Hara was executive dean of Sierra College’s Nevada County Campus in Grass Valley, California.
“When I graduated from [Alaska’s Soldonta High School] in the late ‘80s, I never dreamed that I’d be back home serving as the director of KPC!” said Dr. O’Hara. “I’m so excited that my career path in higher education has led me to this position, and I am so excited to serve the students and industries in the community where I grew up.”
Dr. O’Hara holds a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in human development from the University of California, Davis.