Celebrating Karen Daniel
We recently announced the 2024 recipient of the Beth K. Smith Award — Karen Daniel, Community Leader, will receive the distinguished honor at the WEN Annual Luncheon on April 16th at the Sheraton Crown Center.
The Beth K. Smith Award was established in 2010 by the WEN Board of Directors to honor individuals and/or corporations who share a common vision of supporting women in our community and who are committed to advancing the mission of WEN: to help women raise their self-esteem and achieve economic independence through sustained employment.
“I am pleased to announce this year’s honoree, Karen Daniel,” said Sherry Turner, WEN President. “Karen has been a long-time supporter of WEN and served as WEN Board Chair beginning her term in 1994. We are fortunate to have Karen in our corner. Her passion for WEN’s success has made a substantial impact on our team and the women we serve in our community. We look forward to recognizing her outstanding commitment on stage at our luncheon in April.”
For more than 35 years, Karen has supported WEN’s mission through board service, committee work, volunteering and major donations. She worked alongside WEN co-founders, Marjorie Powell Allen and Beth K. Smith in the early years of WEN and of often refers to them as powerful, generous and trailblazing women. Her commitment to WEN runs deep and her leadership in other roles in our community speaks volumes of her commitment to Kansas City.
“Receiving this award, in honor of Beth K. Smith, means the world to me,” said Karen Daniel, Community leader and former WEN Board President. “Beth was my community mother and mentor. She took me under her proverbial wing to help me understand how I could lead in the community. I knew that I wanted to be part of helping women in some small way, but Beth and Marjorie really changed my direction to a much broader scope — they put me on a different path. They put me on a better path. I am truly appreciative of this honor and look forward to receiving this coveted award at this year’s luncheon.”
The 2024 WEN Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 16th at the Sheraton Crown Center, Grand Ballroom (2345 McGee Street), beginning 11:45 a.m. The Luncheon co-chairs are Sharon Holmes, Vice President - Regional Retail Manager KC/Topeka at Equity Bank and Megan Whitman, Executive Vice President at BRR Architecture.
About Karen Daniel
Karen Daniel is a retired Black & Veatch Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer and President of the Global Finance & Technology Solutions Division. Karen Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU), and an MS in Accounting from UMKC. She was the first recipient of the Kansas City Business Journal’s CFO of the Year Award; received the 2015 UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management Alumni Achievement Award; and in 2017 received an honorary doctorate degree from NWMSU for her commitment to education and the community.
She serves on several corporate boards including Commerce Bancshares and Snap-on Incorporated. Among her extensive civic board service, she was Past President of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation (Liberty Memorial Restoration) and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she is a current trustee for the Kauffman Foundation and Board President of KC2026 (World Cup in KC). She has also served on the boards of the Women’s Employment Network, KU Advancement; the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Northwest Missouri State University Foundation, City Year, and the Kansas City Campus for Animal Care, to name a few.
In 2020, Karen joined the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals and currently serves as the Board President of the Kansas City Royals Foundation.
She was also named by President Obama as Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa.