Karen Maples is Founder and President of Myutiq, an innovation strategy firm that helps organizations build innovation capacity for long-term viability and growth. She is the co-creator of The Pursuit of UniquenessSM that provides a repeatable innovation process for her clients, and the creator of DIVERGESM a complementary methodology focused on the leadership skills needed for innovation to flourish. Karen informs and influences the innovation practices of CEOs, business owners, non-profits and government entities. Her work spans multiple industries including information technology, manufacturing, geospatial analytics and professional services. She has written extensively about innovation for a variety of publications and was recently named Consulting Editor for the upcoming publication Innovation Ecosystem Dynamics. She is on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Foundation and active in multiple initiatives to accelerate diversity in innovation.  She holds a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the College of William and Mary and has completed post-graduate studies in strategic planning and marketing strategy at Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.