Karen Borchert is the VP of Strategic Initiatives at Phase2, an open source software company in Washington, DC. Borchert manages the portfolio of research and development investments that Phase2 makes in open source software projects and strategic ventures.

Applying her experience creating and scaling a national non-profit organization as well as a background in product development for accessible mobile technology, Karen’s passion is in the strategic development of products and services that serve a greater good.

Borchert received her bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University, where she now sits on the board for their Center for Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship. In addition, she received her MBA from Georgetown University.

Karen Borchert’s talk exposes the impact of constant communication. In 2013, Borchert took a self-imposed 90-day hiatus from social media. As she recounts the process, she reveals just how much she consumed – and how the end result was different than expected.