Ask5: Growing Your Career with Intention with Karen Eichner, '14

 

Career success is rarely the result of a straight path—it is shaped by continuous learning, meaningful experiences, and the choices we make along the way. Join us for this episode of Ask5 featuring Karen Eichner, a SUNY Empire alumna and Director of HR at Trusted Talent, as she shares her journey from earning her degree in Human Resources Management to building a successful career in human resources leadership.

Karen will discuss the lessons she’s learned throughout her career, the value of embracing new opportunities, and how an unexpected personal loss inspired her to create The Intention Series—guided self-reflection tools designed to help people move beyond autopilot and live with greater purpose. Whether you’re launching your career, seeking your next professional opportunity, or reflecting on what success means to you, this conversation will offer practical insights on growing your career with intention while staying true to your values and goals.

Bio: Karen Eichner is a 2014 graduate of SUNY Empire State University, where she earned her BS in Human Resources Management through the university’s Cheektowaga location. That degree gave her the foundation to build a career in HR across a range of industries, taking on progressively senior roles and developing expertise in everything from employee relations to organizational strategy along the way. Today, she serves as Director of HR at Trusted Talent, a role that reflects over a decade of hands-on growth in the field. Karen lives in the Buffalo area with her two daughters. In 2023, an unexpected personal loss reshaped how Karen thought about time, attention, and the way she was living her own life. That experience led her to create The Intention Series, guided self-reflection tools built around the idea of stepping out of autopilot and living with purpose, work she now brings alongside her HR career.