Focus

As a founding partner in Qorvis Communications, Karen Vahouny brings 25 years of experience in corporate communications and investor relations. Prior to joining The Poretz Group, of the Qorvis predecessor companies, in 1996, she was vice president of corporate communications for PRC, a $750 million information technology company.  There, she was responsible for the company's corporate image, media relations, marketing communications, corporate contributions and community relations. She also assumed responsibility for one P&L center, the Publications/Multimedia Services Department, and instituted financial controls, strategic and marketing planning, and team-building, resulting in two years of consecutive growth.  Vahouny led the communications effort that helped position the company for sale to Litton.

Pertinent Background & Relationships

• Vahouny’s track record as an investor relations strategist, combined with her background in corporate communications, has generated proven results for both public and private companies across a range of size and industry sectors.   She has particular expertise with corporate image strategy and message development, merger & acquisition communications, and corporate repositioning and turnaround situations.
• She was twice named Business Communicator of the Year for the Washington Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) – the only time a recipient has been selected for this award more than once.  IABC is the world’s largest global communications association with more than 14,000 professionals in the field of communications and public relations.
• An Accredited Business Communicator, she is now serving a two-year term of a trustee of the IABC Research Foundation.  Earlier, she served as a member of the international executive board for four years, and she is currently a member of the board of directors for the Capital Area Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute.
• Vahouny wrote the chapter on investor relations for both the third and fourth edition of the communications textbook, Inside Organizational Communication.    She has authored articles for IABC’s magazine, Communication World and was a member of the speaking faculty for the association’s international conferences in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
• She has received numerous communications awards and is a frequent presenter on the topics of investor relations and communications.  She also was responsible for developing a communications module for the Executive Masters Program at the University of Maryland’s University College.

Education

Vahouny holds a B.S. in marketing from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A.
in finance and management from George Mason University.