Karen Steele Patterson

About Karen Steele Patterson

I am a brand strategist and business consultant with a career spanning corporate, agency, and independent advisory roles. My work centers on helping organizations clarify who they are, what they stand for, and how they create value—translating research, insight, and purpose into strategies that drive growth and meaningful impact. As founder of Makewaves Consulting, I partner with values‑driven companies to strengthen brand identity, refine messaging, and uncover overlooked assets that can be transformed into strategic advantage. My work blends behavioral insight, creative problem‑solving, and practical frameworks that make complex challenges clear and actionable. I also serve as an active associate with Daniel Epstein Associates, contributing to behavioral science research, case development, marketing playbooks, and commercial innovation strategies for both B2C and B2B clients. Earlier in my career, I spent more than a decade as a Marketing Consultant with Procter & Gamble, managing long‑term brand‑building and organizational capability initiatives across functions and global markets. I helped to develop best practices in cause‑related marketing, multi‑brand strategy, and value reframing, and served as project manager of major initiatives including Commercial Innovation, Consumer is Boss, Save to Fuel Growth, Culture of Innovation, and Future of Brand Building. Before P&G, I advised clients across Higher Education, Healthcare, Cities, Professional Services, Retail, and Non‑Profits, helping organizations set vision, define priorities, and build strategic plans that strengthened performance and market clarity. Across every chapter of my career, the through‑line is consistent: I help leaders and organizations turn insight into clarity, clarity into strategy, and strategy into impact.

Experience

1. Founder, Makewaves Consulting

   Makewaves

   Mar 2015 — Present · US

   As the founder of Makewaves Consulting, I help values‑driven companies clarify their identity, strengthen their strategy, and build brands that earn trust in an increasingly skeptical world. I specialize in uncovering overlooked assets—cultural, relational, operational, or intellectual—and transforming them into strategic advantage that fuels growth and meaningful differentiation.I also serve as an active associate with Daniel Epstein Associates, contributing to behavioral science research, case development, marketing playbook design, and commercial innovation strategies for both B2C and B2B clients. This work deepens my ability to translate research into practical frameworks that drive real‑world impact.Across all engagements, I blend research, insight, and creative problem‑solving to make complex challenges clear and actionable. Whether guiding leaders through brand strategy, messaging, or organizational alignment, I focus on solutions that elevate both performance and purpose.

Education

• National Council for Behavioral Health

  Certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid USA

• The Wharton School

  Social Entreprenuership Training

• University of Cincinnati

  Bachelor's degree, Communications; Certificate in Journalism

  1982 — 1986

• Innovation Experience Global

  AN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM | Innovation 360 Academy & Start up Nation Immersion , Israeli Innovation Method

Skills

• Marketing Management
• Social Media Marketing
• Project Planning
• Brand Development
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Digital Media
• Public Speaking
• Market Research
• Public Relations
• Marketing
• Cause-Related Marketing
• Brand Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Strategy
• Program Management
• Social Innovation
• Management
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Marketing Research
• Leadership
• Mobile Devices
• Social Impact Strategy
• Competitive Analysis
• Start-Ups
• Marketing Communications
• Project Management
• Integrated Marketing
• Brand Architecture
• Strategic Planning