Karen Larson
Karen Larson serves as Clarke’s Vice President of Regulatory and Industry Affairs.
Karen oversees Clarke’s global product registrations, EHS, and product quality programs and policies and spearheads the company’s stewardship of the mosquito control industry, advocating for it with policymakers, industry leaders, and other influencers and stakeholders.
She brings over 30 years of experience in specialty vector control products, technology and services, having begun her career at Clarke as a seasonal field technician, advancing through lab tech, sales, and regulatory and product development oversight positions before progressing into her current role.
During her career, Karen has stewarded six products through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pre-qualification of vector control products, emphasizing those with proven public health value. She has also played a critical role in Clarke’s advancement of Green Chemistry and Next Generation technologies for mosquito control – one example includes leading the effort that resulted in Natular being the first larvicide reviewed under the U.S. EPA Reduced Risk program, securing Natular’s Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) Listed status for use in and around organic agriculture, and earning Clarke the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for the innovations in mosquito larval control technology brought forth by the Natular tablet design.
In addition to her Clarke leadership, Karen has a long history of active involvement with key industry associations and workgroups, including RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), where she currently serves as the RISE Governing Board Chair after serving in numerous other positions in the group. This broad experience affords her an excellent understanding of the needs and process for bringing new mosquito control products through registration and market entry, as well as navigating the increasingly complicated regulatory and political landscape to preserve the mosquito control industry’s ability to operate.
She and her husband, Eric, have two children. In her ‘spare’ time, Karen enjoys visiting the National Parks, spending time with family, gardening and reading.
