Foster Karen A.

About Foster Karen A.

Karen A. Foster is a seasoned life sciences operations and quality executive associated with BioLife Solutions Inc., a U.S.-listed company traded on NASDAQ. Public biographical information indicates that she serves as BioLife Solutions’ Chief Quality and Operations Officer. Prior to that, she held the Chief Quality Officer role beginning in December 2019, after joining the company as Vice President, Operations in April 2016. Her BioLife tenure shows a steady progression through roles centered on quality systems, manufacturing support, and operational scale-up. ([people.equilar.com](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/karen-foster-biolife-solutions-inc/12624686)) Before BioLife Solutions, Foster spent more than a decade at ViaCord, LLC, a cord blood bank and subsidiary of PerkinElmer Inc., where she served as Vice President of Laboratory Operations and Site Leader from 2003 to early 2016. That background gave her deep experience in regulated laboratory environments, quality oversight, manufacturing operations, and site leadership. BioLife’s own materials note that across her career she has managed manufacturing and quality operations in multiple capacities, including roles at Pfizer (formerly Pharmacia) and Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. ([people.equilar.com](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/karen-foster-biolife-solutions-inc/12624686)) Her academic credentials are also relevant to her operational focus. Foster holds an MBA in Operations Management and an MS in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, along with a BS in Biological Sciences from Michigan Technological University. BioLife has additionally highlighted quality-focused credentials including Six Sigma Green Belt, Certified Quality Manager/Operations Excellence, Six Sigma Black Belt training, Lean certification in progress, and AABB Assessor credentials. Together, these qualifications reinforce a profile built around disciplined process improvement and compliance-minded execution. ([biospace.com](https://www.biospace.com/biolife-solutions-inc-names-cord-blood-industry-veteran-b-karen-foster-b-vice-president-of-operations)) Among the more notable aspects of her career is her role in scaling BioLife’s biopreservation media manufacturing and fulfillment operations, as emphasized when she joined the company in 2016. BioLife described her as highly quality-oriented and customer focused, with experience that supported efficient expansion of operations. Her earlier work at ViaCord was also described as contributing to the growth of that business over a 13-year period. Overall, Foster’s career is marked by leadership in quality, operational excellence, and regulated life sciences environments rather than by public-facing corporate strategy roles. ([biospace.com](https://www.biospace.com/biolife-solutions-inc-names-cord-blood-industry-veteran-b-karen-foster-b-vice-president-of-operations))