Karen Sock

Karen Sock is President and CEO of Sock Enterprises, Inc. She provides companies and organizations with a variety of professional services, including strategic planning, leadership and staff development, team building, board development, and more.

Ms. Sock enjoyed a wonderful career as a hospitality and gaming executive at Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., Grand Casinos Inc., and Caesars Entertainment Inc., in Mississippi and Louisiana. Her 1997 appointment by Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., to the position of General Manager at the Original Harrah’s Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, distinguished her as the nation’s first African American female to lead the operations of a full-service casino for a major gaming company.

Passionate about the education of our youth, in 2013, Karen co-founded and developed Pathways2Possibilities: P2P on behalf of the Jackson County Civic Action Committee and America’s Promise Alliance. P2P is a unique, hands-on, interactive career exploration experience designed to expose eighth graders and older Opportunity Youth ages 16-24 to the wide variety of career options available to them across the state of Mississippi. P2P has hosted over 124,000 students representing forty-nine of Mississippi’s 82 counties. P2P has also expanded to South Carolina and Tennessee.

Ms. Sock’s current affiliations and roles reflect her diverse professional engagements and contributions. She serves as the Board Chair for the National Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute at Tradition and is a member of the Board of Directors for the East Central Harrison County Public Utility District and the Renaissance Community Loan Fund. Karen is also the creator and owner of the CEO Talent Show, a fundraiser that benefits the United Way of South Mississippi. Her commitment to education was further demonstrated when she delivered the spring 2013 Commencement address to the graduates at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus. In addition to her professional roles, Karen is a Mississippi Cottage Baker, baking and selling her popular “Ms. Karen’s Gourmet Oatmeal Kookies.”

Ms. Sock has been married for 37 years to Frederick Sock, a structural engineer in the nuclear power industry. They are the proud parents of one adult daughter, Kristan, and a grand puppy, Simon.