Karen Brinson Bell is the principal and co-founder of Advance Elections. She previously served as the executive director and chief election officials for the North Carolina State Board of Elections from 2019 to 2025. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor’s degree in communication and political science from the University of North Carolina Asheville. 

Karen is a leading expert in election processing and crisis management after nearly two decades of crisis management experience and experience in administering election processes and voting systems in local, state, and national roles.