Kari Sommers

Activist, Artist, Atheist, Brainstormer, Care taker, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Global soul, Idea generator, Parent, Producer, Student

Kari Sommers is the Associate Dean of Student Life at Columbia College Chicago where she is responsible for Student Programs and Activities, Student Communications, Student Diversity and Inclusion, the Department of Exhibitions and Performance Spaces, ShopColumbia, ColumbiaCares and Columbia’s all-college events and festivals including Manifest. Kari is also faculty in Business and Entrepreneurship. As President of Sommers Productions, Inc. (S.P.I.) and producer of the documentary short, Relative Truth she also produced and managed award-winning corporate events and trade show productions with clients including Cisco Systems, Phillips, Sony, Rapid Stream, Checkpoint Software, Texas Instruments, and others. Sommers was also the lead producer for the rollout of international wireless standards for the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). Sommers holds a B.A. in Dance and Performing Arts from Northeastern Illinois University and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago. She is also the founder and artistic director of Tight (Dance Company) 1980 - 1986 and is currently the artistic director of Knitted Nouns and Team Agora, an arts activist collective.

Creating, inspiring others, and my favorite lipstick.