Class of 1960
Karen Kaiser Clark
International lecturer on growing through change, humor and crisis management
Author: Life is Change – Growth is Optional, Grow Deep – Not Just Tall, Where Have All the Children Gone?
President of Center for Executive Planning, Inc.
Inducted into Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame, 1997
As a student at Dondero High School she was known as Karen Kaiser. She was active in the Girls Athletic Association and played on the field hockey team. She was the co-recipient of the Morrison Trophy in 1960. She was an honors student at Western Michigan University.
Karen Kaiser Clark is a teacher, an author and a lecturer. Her work has touched the lives of many people helping them create realistic expectations and develop coping skills. Her Royal Oak background is seen in her writings. She uses a wise old oak tree to tell the story of growth in her book, Grow Deep, Not Just Tall. The oak is used again in her book, Life is Change, Growth is Optional, to explain the process of adapting to change. To remind people of the power of growth she frequently gives out wooden acorns after she speaks.
Ms. Clark specializes in helping people who are under stress or in pain. She can be found at the site of a plane crash or at the bedside in a local hospital or hospice. She was once described as the person most skilled at simultaneously touching the mind and the heart of an individual.
Karen often uses humor in her work. She sees laughter as one of the best medicines for dealing with stress and pain. As a motivational speaker, her services have been sought by a wide range of companies including many in the Fortune 500. She is the President of the Center for Executive Planning in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was the Keynote Speaker at the 1997 Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at which time she was inducted.