Karen Smith joined the Cultural Division in January 2000. Her responsibilities include coordinating and managing fiscal operations of the Division in addition to supervising administrative operations. Ms. Smith's experience includes 5 years with the 17th Judicial Circuit of Broward County as a case coordinator and mediation liaison for the State of Florida's Guardian ad Litem Program advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children, and four years of administrative and production work with the Florida Renaissance Festival as Executive Administrator.

She received her bachelor's degree in business administration from University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate from Nova University Center for the Study of Law.