Karen Thurm Safran

Chief Content Officer and Co-Founder

Karen Thurm Safran worked for Apple in K-12 Education producing innovative products and programs. She managed the Apple Distinguished Educators program, selecting hundreds of outstanding educators who integrated cutting-edge Apple technology into their school curriculum. After assessing the program, Karen restructured this initiative to improve its effectiveness. Under  her leadership, she implemented structure, set expectations, and made educators accountable for their goals. By establishing KPIs (key performance indicators), Karen dramatically increased the number of Apple Distinguished Educators’ curriculum lessons and projects. These best practices were also shared with hundreds of thousands of other educators worldwide, influencing millions of children globally. To strengthen the program, Karen provided opportunities for educators to collaborate, brainstorm solutions, and share ideas. This synergy supported the members and created a positive, energetic environment. Today, the Apple Distinguished Educators program continues to grow and now includes over 2,000 educators worldwide.

Also at Apple, Karen led a cross-functional team that produced an interactive K-12 science curriculum guide to spark student interest in science. To provide engaging content, she developed strategic relationships with NASA and JPL. After encountering countless hurdles, Karen’s perseverance pushed through each challenge, delivering a high-quality curriculum tool on-time and to thousands of teachers. 

After Apple, Karen joined the start-up, iD Tech, as their VP of Marketing & Business Development. iD Tech was one of the first K-12 STEM educational programs. At this time, there were only a few STEM programs, and iD Tech with Karen’s guidance helped develop this industry. For 15 years, Karen played a significant role in growing iD Tech to over $50M in annual revenue and increasing student enrollment 3,000%. She surpassed yearly goals by leading high-performance teams with solid go-to-market strategies followed with systems to track accountability. 

Besides running the marketing department, Karen was responsible for establishing and building strategic partnerships that enhanced the curriculum with innovative content. Her strong rapport encouraged companies like Adobe, Microsoft, Canon, and Electronic Arts to donate over $60 million worth of product. These product donations enhanced the iD Tech curriculum with innovative, state-of-the-art technology. Each year, Karen also built strategic relationships with many prestigious universities that hosted the programs, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Caltech. 

To engage more girls in STEM learning, Karen led a cross-organizational team to quickly launch an all-girls program with compelling content targeted specifically to them. Karen also established the Girls’ Scholarship Program, reaching thousands of underprivileged girls who wouldn’t have this opportunity.

Karen graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BS degree in psychology. She earned an MBA at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, recognized as an outstanding student graduating with honors. Author of the parenting book, Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It, Karen shares her playful parenting philosophy that empowers children. Her life has revolved around encouraging children to excel through education technology, innovation, and social & emotional learning.