Karen served as Winter Park City Commissioner and Vice Mayor from 2007-2010.  Ms. Diebel Sessions holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s degree from the University of South Florida.

Karen Diebel Sessions has over 30 years of experience providing expertise in legislation and public policy, large-scale public-private investments, strategic planning, business development, organizational structure and change management.

Presently she serves as the Senior Vice President, ExteNet Systems, Inc, the nation’s largest privately held provider of secure 5G and fiber neutral host communications infrastructure solutions serving mobile network operators, real estate owners, enterprises, content providers, wholesale carriers, municipalities and rural internet providers.

Previous to ExteNet, she served as the CEO of EdgePresence, an edge computing company.  As an Advisory Board Member, she works with the chairman on company investments that seek to increase broadband to underserved communities to increase digital inclusion.

With valuable knowledge in developing and emerging markets and international development, Ms. Diebel Sessions served as Vice President of Congressional and Public Affairs at Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).  While at MCC, Karen led congressional and public affairs for the agency, which included authorization and appropriations responsibilities, public affairs, media, press relations, external and interagency affairs, the agency’s public website.  MCC is a U.S. government-owned corporation that provides U.S. foreign assistance grants to promote economic growth, reduce poverty, and strengthen foreign institutions through policy reform.

Before joining MCC, Ms. Diebel Sessions served as the Chief External Affairs Officer and Board Member for XG Communities, a leader in small cell deployment providing intelligent wireless infrastructure for cities and communities.

Prior to joining XG Communities, Ms. Diebel Sessions spent over 23 years with Verizon Communications and most recently held the position of Vice President, Public Policy, Law and Security.  She was responsible for both present and emerging Communications Public Policy that included Smart Cities, Telematics, Internet of Things, Transportation, Machine to Machine (M2M), Healthcare, Energy, Security and Cybersecurity.  In addition, she managed stakeholder relationships including businesses, academics, think-tanks, and standards experts.

Ms. Diebel Sessions is a Co-founder of the Diebel Legacy Fund, 501(c)3, with a specific mission to serve medically uninsured women and children in the community. She also serves as a Board Member of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation whose mission is to improve the outcome of cancer care by providing the medically underserved with assistance with costs for FDA clinical trial options, participation and education. Karen also serves as a board member for The Congressional Award which is the only official charity of the United States Congress.