Karen Stegman

Karen Stegman is the Director of Innovation Partnership for RTI Innovation Advisors. She works across RTI’s areas of expertise, including climate, environment, health, and education, to integrate cutting-edge innovation and technologies that best meets client and market needs. Ms. Stegman develops internal and external partnerships that strengthen innovation ecosystems and approaches. She is an expert at cultivating and supporting strategic partnerships, systems strengthening, and human-center design. She designs new programs for federal, foundation, and private sector clients.  

Before joining RTI in 2022, Ms. Stegman served as the Director of Global Business Development at JSI Research and Training, Inc, a public health NGO with a portfolio of over 100 projects in 56 countries. There, she led the development and implementation of the international division’s strategy to secure new funding and expand its reach strengthening health systems and services around the world. This included a pipeline of over $2 billion in grants and contracts from a diverse mix of U.S. government, multilateral, and private funders.  

Ms. Stegman also worked at IntraHealth International Inc., a global health non-profit organization that has worked in over 100 countries around the globe. During her 17-year tenure, she served in a variety of business development leadership roles with the aim of expanding the organization’s reproductive and maternal health, family planning, infectious disease and other health area programming, while strengthening localization and equity. Her roles included setting business development strategies and annual targets, designing new public health programs, cultivating diverse partnerships with a broad range of donors and public and private sector health and development organizations, and leading high-performing teams.