Karen Tasch, CPSM
Since 2003
Active
SMPS Virginia member
AEC marketing professional
Karen leads comprehensive proposal management for Burns & McDonnell’s Aviation & Federal Group in the Mid-Atlantic region, supporting one of America’s most respected 100% employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firms. Since its founding in 1898, Burns & McDonnell has grown to over 13,000 employees across more than 55 offices globally. As Associate Proposal Manager, she supports a nationally recognized practice that has worked at more than 350 airports worldwide and has delivered military and federal projects since 1942, ranging from passenger terminals and air traffic control towers to fuel systems and runway infrastructure.
Her expertise spans aviation infrastructure development, military installations, and federal government facilities serving both Department of Defense and civilian federal agency clients. Karen brings specialized knowledge in complex proposal development, strategic business development, and client relationship management with deep experience supporting multi-million dollar pursuits across the Mid-Atlantic region and internationally, including European markets.
With over 30 years of AEC marketing and business development experience, she has contributed to growth excellence at prominent Virginia-based firms including WSP USA and Stroud, Pence & Associates. Her comprehensive understanding of federal procurement processes enables effective proposal support for complex aviation and defense projects serving airports, military bases, and federal facilities throughout the region and beyond.
Karen demonstrates exceptional professional leadership through her CPSM certification achievement in 2003, positioning her among the early adopters who helped establish the credential as the gold standard for AEC marketing professionals. Her sustained commitment to professional excellence spans more than 20 years of active SMPS membership, recognized at the 2018 SMPS Virginia Annual Conference for her remarkable 20-year membership milestone—a testament to her enduring dedication to the AEC marketing profession.
Throughout her distinguished career, Karen has served SMPS Virginia in multiple board leadership capacities, including Treasurer, Membership Director, and HR Brown Bag Coordinator. These diverse board roles demonstrate her versatile leadership abilities and commitment to advancing professional services marketing education across Virginia’s AEC community. Her board service has supported SMPS Virginia’s mission of educating, elevating, and inspiring over 100 members from Roanoke to Virginia Beach.
Beyond SMPS, Karen has demonstrated cross-industry leadership through active involvement with the Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate (HRACRE), where she served on the Design Awards Committee and as Board Member and Vice-Chair of the PR Committee. Her participation on the Matchmaking Committee for the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Small Business Conference reflects her commitment to supporting small business participation in federal contracting opportunities.
Karen’s 30+ year career progression—from Director of Marketing at Stroud, Pence & Associates (23 years) through Marketing Manager at WSP USA to her current Associate Proposal Manager role at Burns & McDonnell—illustrates sustained professional growth and increasing impact in aviation and federal markets. Her leadership extends across Virginia’s Tidewater region, where she has become a recognized voice in AEC marketing and business development circles.
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