Karen Larson

Karen Larson, Vice President of Product Innovation and Government Affairs, has over 25 years of experience in specialty vector control products, technology and services.

She began her career at Clarke as a seasonal field technician and advanced through lab tech, sales, and regulatory positions, before coming into her current role overseeing all of Clarke’s global product development and registrations. Karen’s broad experience affords her an exceptionally solid understanding of the needs and process for bringing new mosquito control products through development, registration and market entry.

During her career, Karen has stewarded six products through listing by the World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualification of vector control products, emphasizing those products which have 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. She led the effort that resulted in Natular being the first larvicide reviewed under the U.S. EPA Reduced Risk program; secured Natular’s Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) Listed status for use in and around organic agriculture; and helped earn 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 groups, including RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), where she currently serves as the RISE Governing Board Chair. She has been a member of the RISE Governing Board since 2019, serving as Treasurer (2019-2021), co-chair of the RISE Strategic Oversight Council (2017-2019) and chair of the RISE Regulatory Affairs Committee (2014-2016).

She and her husband Eric have two children. In her ‘spare’ time, Karen enjoys gardening and reading.