Karen Austin serves as the Chief of Staff for State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald. Karen earned her B.A. degree in sociology and political science from Simpson College in 1990, her Certified Public Managers certification (CPM) in 2008 from Drake University and her MBA from the University of Iowa in 2015. She has worked in the Treasurer’s Office since 1990, was promoted to deputy treasurer in 2003 and chief of staff in 2019. Karen’s current responsibilities include oversight of all areas of the Treasurer’s Office, including Iowa’s 529 plans and Iowa’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) plan. Karen was part of the team that launched College Savings Iowa in 1998, the IAdvisor 529 Plan in 2006, the National ABLE Alliance in 2016, and Iowa’s ABLE plan, IAble, in 2017. In the national arena, Karen is an active participant in the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), which includes the College Savings Plans Network. NAST recently awarded Karen the 2021 Chris Allen Memorial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Public Finance for her service advocating for and advancing NAST priorities such as ABLE programs.