Karen Durante

Distinguished Alumni Award Honoree

Karen Durante
Vice President of Partnerships and Member Development
FCA International

Harper College’s renowned fashion design program launched the successful marketing career of Karen Durante, a 1982 graduate. Today, she is vice president of partnerships and member development for the 7,000 members of Finishing Contractors Association (FCA) International.

To begin her college education, she researched fashion design programs and attended a Harper College fashion show with her fashion-conscious mother.

“I prepared my portfolio and was thrilled to be accepted into the fashion program. It was an honor,” Durante said. She has fond memories of many of her instructors, including two of the original fashion design faculty, Sandy Clark and Chieko Nambu.

As a student, one of her early designs was showcased at the Art Institute of Chicago. “The program was challenging, exciting, fun, exhausting, and rewarding,” Durante said. “The professors were creative, helpful, smart and leaders in fashion. It was a whirlwind of excitement!”

At age 19, she produced a 500-person makeover event headlined by Mario Tricoci. That experience initiated a lifelong expertise in event management. Over her career, she has managed hundreds of events with major corporations across the country and Canada.

After Harper, Durante went on to earn her B.A. from Dominican University and began work as a fashion copywriter at Spiegel, the first step in her marketing career. Since then, she has held impactful roles at Eastman Kodak, Home Depot, and in bridal and fitness marketing.

As senior marketing project manager at ComEd/Exelon, Durante led youth programs, senior outreach, and energy education initiatives. She managed a ComEd ambassador program with After School Matters to introduce students to careers in energy.

Durante has championed the contributions of women in non-traditional fields. She started a Women in Power campaign which featured women in electricity and energy making a difference. In her current role, she supports women in the construction industry and promotes trade careers.

Durante is a dedicated community volunteer, supporting STEM fairs, the Glen Ellyn Historical Society, and United Way’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library. She’s also passionate about adoption. She and her husband John adopted their son at age 5 and the book she wrote to welcome him has helped inspire foster and adoptive families.

These multi-faceted career and service opportunities have brought many lifelong rewards. “I enjoy the creativity and the fact that every day is different, while making a difference,” she said “And it all started at Harper!”