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Karen Alma Arnold

Head of Operations and Events for the WordPress Project at Automattic

@karenalma Albuquerque, New Mexico joined May 2008

karen.blog github.com/karenalma Slack: @karenalma
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    Bio

    I’ve been part of the WordPress community since 2010, when I co-founded the Albuquerque WordPress meetup and co-organized the first-ever WordCamp Albuquerque. Over the years I co-organized four WordCamps in Albuquerque and spoke at events from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro to Phoenix, in both English and Spanish, including an early WordPress for Kids session in Albuquerque that I’m still a little proud of. I spent the better part of a decade at Automattic building the company’s Talent Acquisition function from the ground up, and somewhere in there, life got full: family, work, etc. Now I’m back, still at Automattic and stepping into the role of Head of Operations and Events for the WordPress Project and genuinely glad to be here. I have a deep love and respect for this community and a lot of energy to pitch in and help make WordPress!

    Interests

    When I’m not working, I’m probably painting. I’m a watercolor artist working toward my Master Painter designation with the New Mexico Watercolor Society, mostly painting landscapes and portraits. I post about that occassionally on karen-arnold.com. I also serve on a couple of nonprofit boards, including as Secretary for an adult literacy organization and a classical music public radio station.

    WordPress Origin Story

    My WordPress story starts with my brother who wouldn’t stop talking about some software he’d discovered. My brother in San Francisco kept nudging me toward WordPress while I was happily stay-at-home-mom blogging about childbirth research on Blogger. I eventually listened to him and then fell down the rabbit hole of building websites. I had an embarrassing Joomla phase, found clients to trust me with their website visions, and finally built an actual business building sites for small businesses. It grew enough that my husband left his job to handle the back office. Then in 2011, I co-organized the first-ever WordCamp Albuquerque and in a moment of kismet a conversation between my husband and an Automattic employee changed the trajectory of everything. I applied for a job I hadn’t planned on applying for, got it, and spent the next 14+ years at Automattic.

    Badges

    COMMUNITY
    5 badges
    Community Contributor '17 Community Team '26 Meetup Organizer '26 WordCamp Organizer '14 WordCamp Speaker '14

    Current Job

    Head of Operations and Events for the WordPress Project
    Mar 2026 – Present
    Automattic · Full-time
    Supporting the global infrastructure that keeps the WordPress community running (WordCamps, meetups, contributor events, and the operational systems behind them) while helping build toward a more connected and durable community for the long term.

    Job History

    Global Vice President, Talent
    Mar 2020 – Mar 2026
    Automattic · Full-time

    Recent impact

    Score weights high-impact work (commits, releases, approved translations, props) at 3x routine activity.

    Last 30 days
    10contributions
    high1
    medium9
    score12
    Last 90 days
    13contributions
    high2
    medium11
    score17
    Last 12 months
    26contributions
    high9
    medium17
    score44

    Team focus

    Share of contributions across teams during the last 365 days

    Time commitment

    Five for the Future sponsors

    Contributions

    Type
    October 2026
    Oct 14 Wed · 19:21
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post WordCamp India 2027: What’s Next?, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    Thanks for the patience, everyone! Confirming here that Ahmedabad has been selected as the host…
    Oct 12 Mon · 21:56
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Update on the WordPress community groups on events.wordpress.org, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    Patricia, I would guess probably here and also Slack in the GatherPress channel, when the…
    Oct 12 Mon · 21:55
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Update on the WordPress community groups on events.wordpress.org, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    I hear you @aglekis . And thanks for raising your hand to help! The goal…
    Oct 12 Mon · 21:55
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Update on the WordPress community groups on events.wordpress.org, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    I hear you. And thanks for raising your hand to help! The goal is for…
    Oct 12 Mon · 21:48
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Making space for the next generation of WordPress builders, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    @peiraisotta, yes! This is so good and much needed. Education is one way we can…
    Oct 12 Mon · 21:32
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Proposal: WordCamp Education Sponsor Fund for Flagships, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    Thanks, @piyopiyofox, @Julians3, Harmony and @nukaga for sharing your thoughts! I talked this through with…
    Oct 05 Mon · 13:48
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Update on the WordPress community groups on events.wordpress.org, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    Thank you all for volunteering to help! I'll make sure the project team knows and…
    Oct 05 Mon · 13:38
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Update on the WordPress community groups on events.wordpress.org, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    I almost missed this post, so this is the call for testing for current meetup…
    September 2026
    Sep 28 Mon · 15:14
    Meta med
    Wrote a comment on the post Events in the US and Canada: the plan through 2027, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    That sounds like an excellent idea @areziaal
    Sep 26 Sat · 02:26
    Meta high
    Wrote a new post, Update on the WordPress community groups on events.wordpress.org, on the site Make WordPress Community:
    In July, it was announced that WordPress meetup groups will be moving off Meetup.com and…