When Karen Ivy, AB ’84,reflects on her childhood, one memory soars above the rest: her father, Richard Daniels, then an employee of McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, taking her and her two sisters to the air show. Her face illuminates with joy as she recalls her eyes opening to the world of aviation and being one of the few Black children in attendance. Suddenly, she realized the sky was the limit for who she could become.
Ivy watched her father navigate the aviation industry during a time when racial barriers were far more apparent. She watched her mother, Peggy Daniels, step up in their church community by taking a lead role in outreach communications. “My parents were my strongholds,” Ivy says. “They were the ones who made sure I always saw beyond my community.”
Although Ivy was shy, something sparked in her as she watched her mother serve others. As a teenager, she began assisting her church in helping the homeless, putting care packages together and visiting with young people at the Annie Malone Children & Family Services Center.
“By the time I made it to college, I had already started working in the community,” Ivy says. “What WashU did was position me to reach out to those who were different from me.”
With a desire to continue helping others, Ivy set her sights on medical school. But a hospital job her junior year opened her eyes to the reality of a health career. “I worked with patients who were dealing with a terminal diagnosis,” she says. “It was painful for me to lose them.” The emotional toll led Ivy to switch her major to applied mathematics, a callback to her father’s career in technology and aviation.
“WashU provided a supportive environment for me,” she says. “So many of my professors exposed me to the idea that when you’re done with your studies, you can touch so many people throughout the world.”
The late Florida Bosley, then assistant director of student educational services, is one memorable mentor who played a pivotal role in shaping Ivy’s perspective on career possibilities and her desire to make a difference in the world.
Following graduation, Ivy moved to Minnesota to work in Honeywell’s aviation division, followed by stints at 3M in information systems and then Lockheed Martin. It was there that she honed leadership skills in senior management roles. Ultimately, Ivy landed at the University of Arizona Global Campus. Based in Colorado, she serves as assistant dean and professor of technology studies.
Ivy was named a U.S. Fulbright Specialist in 2023 and, in September 2024, was honored by President Joe Biden at the White House with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. Ivy credits the honor to her work with Shades of Blue, a nonprofit that encourages young people to pursue careers in aerospace industries.
“Everything is full circle, going back to when I was a little girl and my dad crossed the line to take his daughters to air shows, letting us know you can be whatever it is that you want to be,” Ivy says. “When you listen to the role models whom God has blessed you with, you must honor them and go beyond that.”
