Karen Ferguson
Associate
Karen Ferguson is an accomplished law enforcement and intelligence community professional with over 26 years of progressively responsible experience in investigative and intelligence operations management, strategic planning/coordination of investigative programs, oversight of personnel resources and budget allocation. She combines strong leadership, administration, resource management, emergency/crisis management, and budgeting skills with extensive experience in violent crime, public corruption, cyber crime, health care fraud, white collar crime, intellectual property rights investigations and data analysis. Karen brings extensive management skills in quality assurance, internal compliance, internal security, risk management, threat based planning, domestic/international liaison, internal and White House level policy development. Karen possess an active Top Secret security clearance. As the Chief of the Intellectual Property Rights National Program in the FBI's Cyber Division, Karen developed and directed the FBI’s first national Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) program with congressionally dedicated resources in a multi-agency task force environment. She engaged a broad spectrum of industry representatives, domestic and international law enforcement and other USG components which enhanced investigative resources to address the worldwide IPR threat. Karen represented and led the FBI’s efforts associated with the White House Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) through joint strategic plan development and participation in IPEC White House working groups. Karen justified and managed a budget of over $1.4 million which represented the necessary funding to operate an extremely vital program within the FBI and U.S. government. She hired experienced contractors to meet operational and administrative needs and represented the U.S. at international law enforcement and intelligence conferences. Karen developed and provided IPR training to federal law enforcement and intelligence communities and has presented the FBI’s IPR vision to congressional subcommittee staffs.
Karen also served as the Chief of the Policy, Planning and Communications Office for the FBI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD). She Established the Policy, Planning and Communications Office and developed and managed high level initiatives to include the WMDD’s Strategic Management Quality Assurance Program and Congressional/White House requests for information. She managed the WMDD Security Program, internal policy and compliance, issues and executive staff communications, interagency policy, strategic planning and performance metrics. Karen also served as the WMDD Division Policy Officer and the Integrity and Compliance Officer.
Karen has also served other senior leadership roles at the FBI to include Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo FBI field office, Supervisory Special Agent at the FBI Academy as an Instructor and co-developed a comprehensive law enforcement ethics training curriculum, and a special agent in the Philadelphia field office.