Moore School’s Folks Center hires new executive director

The University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business has hired a new executive director for its Folks Center for International Business. Karen Brosius, who begins with the Folks Center in September, has been since February 2017 the president of Careers through Culinary Arts Program, a national nonprofit that empowers underserved youth through the culinary arts headquartered in New York City.

Before working with the Careers through Culinary Arts Program, Brosius served from 2004-2017 as the executive director of the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. She spent the previous 21 years with Altria Group in New York as a senior philanthropy, corporate affairs and communications executive. As part of her work at the company, she extensively partnered with the executive teams at Altria’s international subsidiaries and brands to select and support innovative and effective civic and business partnerships.

“We are pleased to welcome Karen Brosius to the Moore School,” said Former Gov. Jim Hodges, chair of the Folks Center for International Business board. “Her experiences in the business and nonprofit worlds should be strong assets for the Folks Center and its major initiatives. The Folks Center is focused on strengthening the Moore School’s ties with global business leaders and making its students and faculty important resources in addressing global business challenges.”

Brosius has received many accolades in her career, including:

• The Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce Recognition of Excellence in Community Award
• The City Center Partnership Chairman’s Award from the Columbia business community
• The Woman of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts
• The TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) Award from the Palmetto Center for Women for outstanding achievements as a leader and role model
• Appointment as a Leo Twiggs Scholar by the South Carolina Arts Commission
• Being chosen a Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative Fellow, named for former U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley

In addition to earning her bachelor’s degree in music from Butler University and a master’s in music history from Hunter College, City University, Brosius has earned a Certificate in Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofits from Harvard Business School and was one of 40 participants selected nationwide for a Yale University School of Management leadership program for museum directors.

Before beginning her career, Brosius was the music assistant to Nadia Boulanger, the noted French conductor and teacher in Paris and at the Ecoles d’arts américaines in Fontainebleau, France. She also studied in Avignon, France, as part of Bryn Mawr College’s Foreign Study Program. She was selected as one of 20 participants for an international Young Leaders Conference in Milan on Innovation in Business, organized by the Council for the United States and Italy.

Brosius has also served as an active board member for a wide variety of national civic, cultural and human service organizations.

ABOUT THE FOLKS CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

The Darla Moore School of Business established the Folks Center for International Business to enhance the global positioning and capabilities of the school. The center is designed to serve as an exclusive academic/corporate partnership for providing strategic direction regarding the overall international activities of the Moore School and to better integrate the corporate world into the process of identifying initiatives and curriculum design for developing critical skills associated with successful global leadership. The center will provide cutting-edge knowledge and develop innovative programmatic initiatives to maintain and enhance the Moore School’s reputation for world-renowned excellence in global business education and research. Learn more at bit.ly/folkscenter.

ABOUT THE DARLA MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina is among the highest-ranked business schools in the world for international business education and research. Founded in 1919, the school has a history of innovative educational leadership, blending academic preparation with real-world experience through internships, consulting projects, study abroad programs and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Moore School offers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as distinctive executive education programs. In 1998, the school was named for South Carolina native and New York financier Darla Moore, making the University of South Carolina the first major university to name its business school after a woman. Learn more at moore.sc.edu.