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Karen Wells is Chair of the Advisory Board to the Family and Small Business Program at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law. The Board serves as a strategic resource, providing guidance on curriculum development, research priorities, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising strategies. The Board also helps connect the Program with practitioners, policymakers, and other academic and industry leaders.

Ms. Wells is a Staff Attorney with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project and has a particular interest in how environmental issues and land preservation efforts impact family and small businesses. She is a graduate of the law school. Earlier in her career, Ms. Wells worked in finance, including founding Wells, Canning & Associates (WCA), an investment consulting firm. WCA, a family-owned business, worked with financial institutions to help them develop, implement, and oversee their investments. In 2011, Karen Wells negotiated the successful sale of WCA to Towers Watson, a global consultancy, and oversaw the successful transition of employees and clients.