BIO
Karen L Sherman is the Founder and CEO of Virunga Mountain Spirits, a new world- class craft distillery based in Rwanda, where she has worked for close to two decades. The business will employ and upskill Rwandans at every level of operations, with an emphasis on creating opportunities for women.
Throughout her 30-plus year career, Karen Sherman served in executive and leadership roles working to advance women around the world, in partnership with women on the frontlines, in offices and boardrooms. She has sat with leaders of all levels – heads of state, ambassadors, business and civic leaders – and speaks and writes passionately about the challenges and opportunities for women globally.
Previously she served as President of Akilah, leading on strategy, growth, governance and partnerships. Prior to Akilah, Sherman was a senior executive at Women for Women International, an organization that helps women survivors of war to rebuild their lives and Counterpart International, a global development agency working to build inclusive, sustainable communities.
Sherman is a successful author and began writing Brick by Brick -- Building Hope and Opportunity for Women Survivors Everywhere (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) during the year she lived in Rwanda with her three sons to oversee the construction of a first-of-its-kind women’s opportunity center. She is also a sought-after speaker on global women’s issues and has been featured on BBC, CNBC Africa, Al Jazeera English, and Voice of America, and in numerous outlets including ABCNews.com, Council on Foreign Relations, Huffington Post, Africa.com and other public media. She served as Executive Producer of The Other Side of War: Women’s Stories of Survival and Hope, published by National Geographic.
Sherman holds a Master’s Degree in Russian and East European Studies from The George Washington University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Oregon.
Below are links to materials that may be useful for publicity purposes: