Kara Forney

Kara Aquilano Forney is a visionary leader in higher education with a deep commitment to expanding access and opportunity through strategic innovation. As Executive Director of Corporate and Community Partnerships at Arizona Online, she leads efforts to create and grow impactful partnerships with local and national employers, enabling working adults to pursue degree attainment through flexible, world-class online education. Under her leadership, the program has built over 100 corporate partnerships—including organizations like Walmart, Geico, and Amazon—making University of Arizona degrees available to more than one million employees across the country.

Kara’s career spans over two decades of executive leadership across entrepreneurship, marketing, and business development. She is the founder of The Bump Media, a pioneering media brand for new and expectant mothers that she grew into a national platform before successfully negotiating its acquisition by XO Group Inc. Her experience also includes leading corporate marketing at the Del Webb Corporation, business development at IBM, and executive advising for early-stage companies through her consultancy KP Ventures.

With a proven ability to scale initiatives, foster innovation, and navigate complex partnerships, Kara brings a unique business and entrepreneurial perspective to higher education. Her work is grounded in a passion for education access, equity, and lifelong learning. She holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BS in Marketing from the University of Arizona, graduating magna cum laude.