KAREN PINKSTON

Karen is passionate about helping Catalyst clients tell their stories to achieve their goals. Her experience in journalism, public affairs, and politics is an asset to our teams.

As a television news reporter, Karen spent nearly a decade uncovering stories for WVEC, KTAL, CNN and Fox News Channel. She won an Associated Press award for her investigation that led to schools offering more nutritious meals for children in need. After leaving the news in 2016, Karen served as a campaign manager for a hotly contested mayoral race in Norfolk, Virginia.

Most recently, Karen was the Communications Director for the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. She highlighted the great work of law enforcement during a time when the public had lost trust, achieving the goal of securing positive press coverage every single week. She also created the agency's crisis communications strategy and led a social media campaign, which brought a 320 percent spike in recruitment for deputies. 

Karen holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Public Relations and Corporate Communications, and bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University. She is married to an active-duty U.S. Navy Officer, and has three young children.