Karen Christiansen ’92 Serves as Undergraduate Commencement Speaker

Karen Christiansen, MBA ’92 serves as President for ACTS Retirement Services, Inc. (Acts), and is a member of its Board of Directors. Founded and headquartered in Fort Washington, Pa., Acts is a faith-based organization that is among the largest not-for-profits of continuing care retirement communities in the nation and serves 13,000 residents across four levels of living. As a member of the senior executive team, Karen actively participates in strategic planning and leadership in support of Acts’ mission, culture, and growth objectives.

Karen has more than 30 years of experience, with 28 years dedicated to the senior living industry. She started her career in Acts in 1996 as Manager of Financial Operations and became a Vice President in 2003. She was appointed the organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2014 and was promoted to President in 2020. As the former CFO, she successfully managed the financial affairs of Acts, such that the organization maintained its investment grade rating while facilitating significant growth as assets grew from $400 million in 1996 to its current level of over $3 billion. More notably, Karen was instrumental in leading the organization successfully through the recent pandemic.

With a large team serving across the corporate, regional, and community locations, her strengths include staff management and development; and she has served as a mentor for aspiring executives both internal and external to Acts. Karen is an accomplished speaker who participates frequently in industry-related conferences and technology symposiums and is highly respected by her peers, as well as internal and external stakeholders for consistently demonstrating strategic thinking, effective leadership, and integrity.

Karen is a Certified Management Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants. She serves on the Board of Deacons and is a member of Council for her church. In addition, Karen previously served on the board of directors for a community not-for-profit organization that provides supportive programs and outreach services for those in need. She is a former member of the LeadingAge Budget and Finance Committee and previously served as a surveyor for an industry accreditation agency and was a member of its Financial Advisory Panel.

Karen is a proud graduate of Gwynedd Mercy University, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and has a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Temple University. In further studies, she has completed an executive leadership program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Watch Karen's commencement speech below: