Karen Cash
She spent 30 years navigating systems not built for her. Now she redesigns them.
About
She spent three decades navigating systems not built for her. Now she redesigns them.
Karen Cash is a civil engineer, DEIB strategist, organizational leader, and the founder of Aspire DEIB Consultant Services — and she is one of the most credentialed people you will ever put on a stage. Three graduate degrees. A Professional Engineer license. Three years as adjunct faculty at Gonzaga University. Twenty-plus years of transformational leadership across the private sector, government, and nonprofit worlds.
Her signature talk, No More Scraps, names something many women carry quietly: the habit of being grateful for too little — at work, in relationships, and in how they care for themselves. It's not an empowerment slogan. It's a practice. Karen gives women a framework for identifying where they're settling, making one structural shift, and building their own table instead of waiting to be invited to someone else's.
As founder of Aspire DEIB Consultant Services, Karen designs and delivers equity-centered workshops, leadership training, and organizational development strategies for Spokane-area nonprofits, businesses, and community partners. She has facilitated Ace Your Interview workshops at the Northeast Community Center, taught women's leadership intensives at Gonzaga, and built programs that measurably shift confidence, hiring outcomes, and access.
She speaks with clarity, compassion, and the authority of someone who has spent almost three decades reshaping systems from the inside.
Speaking topics
What she delivers
No More Scraps: Stop Settling. Start Designing the Life You Deserve
This talk names a pattern many women quietly carry: being grateful for too little — at work, in relationships, and in how they care for themselves. Karen gives audiences a simple, actionable framework: identify where they're settling, make one structural shift, and build their own table instead of waiting to be invited to someone else's. Women leave with language, boundaries that hold, and the confidence to design a life that honors their energy. Practical, compassionate, and deeply human — this is empowerment as a practice, not a slogan.
Format: Keynote or Workshop · 45–90 min · Up to 250
Ace Your Interview: Confidence-Building Tools for the Job You Actually Want
A hands-on workshop built around practical, confidence-building tools for job seekers navigating competitive hiring environments. Karen draws on her engineering background, HR expertise, and years of workforce development experience to walk participants through preparation, presence, and the kind of self-advocacy that actually lands offers.
Format: Workshop · 2 hours · Up to 20
Equity-Centered Leadership: Building Organizations Where Everyone Can Do Their Best Work
Drawing from 20+ years of leadership across engineering, government, and nonprofit sectors, Karen delivers a practical framework for leaders who want to build genuinely inclusive cultures — not just check boxes. This session addresses the real structural barriers that show up in hiring, retention, and team dynamics, and gives leaders concrete strategies for closing the gap between stated values and daily practice.
Format: Keynote or Workshop · 60–90 min
Credentials & experience
What qualifies her
CREDENTIALS
PhD Candidate, Leadership Studies — Gonzaga University (2023–present)
M.A., Organizational Leadership — Gonzaga University, 2020
MBA — Washington State University, 2017
M.S., Civil Engineering — University of Idaho, 2011
Certificate in Authentic Leadership — Gonzaga University, 2025
Certificate in Women's Leadership — Gonzaga University, 2022
Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion in HR Management — HRCI, 2022
AI Essentials — Gonzaga University, 2026
Advanced Communicator — Toastmasters International, 2016
Professional Civil Engineer (PE) — State of Washington, License #41336
Founder & Owner, Aspire DEIB Consultant Services (2022–present)
Adjunct Faculty, Gonzaga University — leadership courses, 3 years
Published: Terpak, K. Optimizing Generation: Removing Sediment at Monroe Street Dam. Hydro Review, 2014
PAST ENGAGEMENTS
Gonzaga University Women Lead Conference — March 2026
Ace Your Interview Workshop, Northeast Community Center — June 2026
Gonzaga University Women's Career & Self-Confidence Development — November 2025
Gonzaga University Women's Guidance to Navigating Work, Life & Purpose — October 2025
What people say
The room after she leaves
"Karen is a barrier-breaking entrepreneur, educator, and civil engineer whose influence spans industry, classrooms, and community organizations. She consistently delivers excellence in high-stakes environments while creating opportunities for others to succeed."
— Monica Wales, Coaching Freedom
Ready to book?
Bring Karen to your event
Reach out directly — she responds promptly and handles her own bookings.
Booking details
Location: Spokane, WA
Formats: Keynote · Workshop · Facilitation
Audience: Up to 250 (keynote) · Up to 20 (workshop)
Fee range: Contact for rates
Virtual available: Yes
Start a conversation → [email protected]