Kara J. Niebauer
Baltimore,MD
Summary
Strategic director with high productivity and consistent task execution. Lead operational strategy, team management, and financial oversight to support business objectives. Deliver clear communication, problem-solving, and adaptability to sustain project success.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Education Channel, Sales and Marketing
American Psychological Association
Washington DC
02.2026 - Current
- Lead the Education Channel, shaping higher education segment strategy, instructor engagement, and early-funnel adoption pathways that strengthen APAs revenue performance across print and digital academic resources. Define channel scope, improve cross-functional alignment, and develop market-facing tactics that increase evaluation volume, adoption consistency, and downstream sales impact.
- Set the strategic direction for the Education Channel by defining channel identity, segmentation priorities, and core GTM rhythms for a newly formalized academic segment.
- Drive visibility and audience engagement by guiding segment leaders in developing strategic partnerships with webinars, discipline-specific outreach, and faculty-facing initiatives that expand adoption opportunity.
- Shape full-funnel strategy by establishing instructor evaluation frameworks and engagement models that improve pipeline movement for revenue-driving titles.
- Aligned cross-functional teams (editorial, marketing, product) around academic cycles and market opportunities, enhancing adoption, re-adoption, and lifecycle performance.
- Identify and address structural gaps by leading cross-functional partners to stabilize workflows affecting adoption, ordering, and faculty experience.
- Direct new title launch and backlist strategy by overseeing messaging, positioning, and resource development.
Director, Channel Partner Development, Course Adoption
American Psychological Association
03.2024 - 02.2026
- Lead national revenue growth and partner engagement strategies across a $4M+ portfolio of SaaS, digital content, and print solutions for higher education institutions. Drive adoption and upsell initiatives in a hybrid sales model (B2B and enterprise) and oversee change management for evolving sales structures.
- Converted 40% of key accounts from per-course to enterprise models and influenced 60% active pipeline of institutional sales opportunities through consultative selling and stakeholder alignment.
- Achieved 55% revenue growth with 2nd largest e-distributor by optimizing pricing strategy for affordability.
- Achieved 38% YoY eBook growth and 13% in print for a mature flagship product.
- Collaborated with marketing, product, and implementation teams to ensure lifecycle success and enhance client retention.
Director, Business Development and Sales, Higher Education
American Psychological Association
04.2020 - 03.2024
- Developed and executed sales strategy for APA's new SaaS-based courseware portfolio across North America, managing full sales cycle from prospecting to renewals and leading high-performing sales team.
- Grew new business and renewals at an average of 72% YoY over 4 years, exceeding aggressive sales targets.
- Expanded institutional reach through upselling, consultative engagement, and strategic account mapping to drive revenue growth.
- Improved demo-to-close ratio to 25% by revamping sales playbook and messaging.
- Enhanced channel partner relationships and negotiated agreements with distributors that reduced costs and improved collaboration.
Partnership Manager, Higher Education
American Psychological Association
03.2019 - 04.2020
- Launched APAs new SaaS courseware in US university markets, driving strategic prospecting and product demos to support early-stage growth. Collaborated with internal teams to refine product-market fit and shape adoption strategy.
- Influenced product roadmap by establishing structured feedback loops with early adopters, ensuring alignment with market needs.
- Completed first-ever revenue-generating sale of SaaS courseware for APA.
- Achieved 110% of sales goal in 2019; selected for product customer experience panel speaker for company-wide meeting.
- Advanced to Acting Sales Director role within 6 months to lead sales initiatives.
Executive Learning Technology Representative
McGraw Hill Education
Baltimore, MD
01.2016 - 03.2019
- Prepared and executed digital presentations, demonstrated digital educational solutions, and partnered with faculty to integrate digital content into Learning Management Systems like Blackboard and Canvas, aligning with corporate strategies of enterprise sales and digital-first focus.
- Achieved recognition as a Regional Top Sales Performer by exceeding the goal by $500K (2018).
- Increased digital sales by over 200% in 2 years.
- Drove enterprise growth of $200K by identifying and pursuing new market opportunities.
- Mentored District Salesforce CRM representatives by training and educating them on Salesforce (2017-2019).
Executive Learning Consultant, Higher Education
Cengage Learning, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
08.2000 - 01.2016
- Drove sales for higher education digital and print learning solutions across 14 colleges and universities in Baltimore, DC area; coordinated and conducted faculty training workshops and sales presentations; devised targeted strategies and customized solutions to secure new business and revenue across academic disciplines; facilitated integration of digital content with campus online learning management systems.
- Recognized as top performer in digital sales (2011-2013) $400K combined sales increase.
- Won district contest for largest sales growth year over year of 146% (2012) in a $2.5M territory, in a turbulent corporate environment of restructuring and bankruptcy.
- Awarded CEO summit attendance and participation for highest achieving sales performance and leadership (2012, 2013).
- Led team members in organizing and executing peer-to-peer faculty development workshops through an internal unit (2012).
- Served on sales advisory committee for corporate-wide sales systems (2011-2013).
- Received nomination for Publishers College Corporate Leadership Program in 2011.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Political Science
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TNSkills
- Salesforce
- Google Suite
- MSFT Suite
- JIRA, SalesLoft, Wrike,
- SaaS Sales
- LMS knowledge
- High level LTI documentation requirements
- data driven decision making
- effective communication
- sales and territory planning
- sales enablement
- training and development
- strategic relationship building
- establishing and expanding sales opportunities
- customer focused sales
- sales process management
- strategic sales, problem solving, change management
- Channel strategy
- Go-to-market planning
- Higher education sales
- Account development
- Partner management
- CRM management
- Course adoption
- Stakeholder alignment
- Cross-functional leadership
- Consultative selling
- People management
- Team management
- Industry knowledge
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL COURSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
- Certification - Performance Plus International Leadership Academy 2025
- Certification in Consultative Selling Skills.
- Courses Completed: Presentation Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Sales Prospecting, Leadership Training
- Leadership, Employee Accountability continuing education workshops through Skillsoft Percipio
Timeline
Director, Education Channel, Sales and Marketing
American Psychological Association
02.2026 - Current
Director, Channel Partner Development, Course Adoption
American Psychological Association
03.2024 - 02.2026
Director, Business Development and Sales, Higher Education
American Psychological Association
04.2020 - 03.2024
Partnership Manager, Higher Education
American Psychological Association
03.2019 - 04.2020
Executive Learning Technology Representative
McGraw Hill Education
01.2016 - 03.2019
Executive Learning Consultant, Higher Education
Cengage Learning, Inc.
08.2000 - 01.2016
Bachelor of Science - Political Science
University of Tennessee