Karen Catlin

Karen Catlin is a highly acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. She has published four books: "Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces (2019)," "The Better Allies Approach to Hiring (2020)," "Belonging in Healthcare (2022)," and "The Better Allies Way: A Workbook for Being More Inclusive at Work (2024)." She also emails a roundup of “5 Ally Actions” to over 40,000 newsletter subscribers every week.

Previously, Catlin spent 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Adobe. During that time, she witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, she knew it was time to switch gears and focus on creating more inclusive workplaces where everyone could do their best work and thrive.

In 2014, Catlin somewhat naively set off to change workplaces around the world. Her first step was starting the Twitter handle @BetterAllies to share simple, actionable steps that anyone could take to make their workplaces more inclusive. That Twitter handle became the inspiration for her books.

A self-professed public speaking geek, Catlin is a highly sought-after and engaging presenter who has delivered talks at hundreds of conferences and corporate events. Her TEDx talk, "Women in Tech: The Missing Force," explores the decline in gender diversity in tech, why it’s a problem, and what can be done about it.

In addition to speaking herself, Catlin is determined to change the ratio for who is on stage giving keynotes and other presentations. To support this goal, she coauthored "Present! A Techie’s Guide to Public Speaking" with Poornima Vijayashanker.

Catlin also coaches women to be stronger leaders and men to be better allies for members of marginalized groups. Her client roster includes Airbnb, DoorDash, Google, Intuit, and LinkedIn. Her writing on leadership has appeared in Inc., the Daily Beast, Fast Company, and the Muse, and she’s consulted on articles for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the New York Times.

Catlin is a graduate and active alum of Brown University, mentoring students on how to launch their careers. She’s also a member of the board of directors of Digital NEST and on the advisory boards for the Women’s CLUB of Silicon Valley and WEST (Women Entering & Staying in Technology). In 2015, the California State Assembly honored Catlin with the Wonder Women Tech Innovator Award for outstanding achievements in business and technology and for being a role model for women. And in 2020, her unique approach to allyship was featured in the BBC’s Ally Track tool.