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Kara Blackburn

MIT Sloan School of Management

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(617) 253-7479

kfb@mit.edu

title

Senior Lecturer, Managerial Communication

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Emelyn Uribe-Rutowski

(617) 258-7843

emelyn@mit.edu

Kara Blackburn

Faculty Bio

Kara Blackburn is a Senior Lecturer in Managerial Communication at the MIT Sloan School of Management and an affiliate of MIT Sloan's Leadership Center. 


At MIT, Blackburn co-created and teaches Leading the Way: Perspectives on Advancing Equity and Inclusion. This course address both individual skills and organizational strategies for advancing equity and inclusion within workplaces and increasing the representation of historically marginalized groups in key positions. Blackburn also created and teaches Tough Conversations: Science, Strategies & Skills that equips students with a framework for initiating and navigating hard conversations at work. Blackburn teaches Communication for Leaders and runs the accompanying Communications Lab for full-time MBA students. Additionally, she teaches in MIT Sloan’s Executive Education programs. 


Also at MIT Sloan, Blackburn has mentored teams in the Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab), and China and India Lab courses, and has been the faculty lead for study tours in South America and Africa. She has traveled on behalf of the MIT faculty to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Botswana, Namibia, Vietnam, Thailand, and China.


Blackburn was awarded the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching at MIT Sloan in 2019. She was also a recipient of the 2020 Teaching with Digital Technology Award and won MIT Sloan’s Teacher of the Year in 2023.

Courses

Management and Leadership

Global Executive Academy

Upon completion of this course, you will earn an MIT Sloan Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership

Financial Management

Global Economics & Markets

Marketing

Negotiation & Communication

Organizations & Leadership

Strategy & Innovation

Systems Thinking

EARN 8.0 EEUs
Global Executive Academy
In Person

STARTING

Jul 13–22, 2027

LOCATION

Cambridge, MA

DURATION

8 days

COMMITMENT

7–11 hours/day

TUITION

$21,000

STARTING

Jul 13–22, 2027

LOCATION

Cambridge, MA

DURATION

8 days

COMMITMENT

7–11 hours/day

TUITION

$21,000

Explore
Management and Leadership

Interpersonal Communication: Strategies for Executives

Negotiation & Communication

Organizations & Leadership

EARN 2.0 EEUs
Interpersonal Communication: Strategies for Executives
Self-Paced Online

STARTING

Mar 3–Apr 20, 2027

LOCATION

Online

DURATION

6 weeks

COMMITMENT

6–8 hours/week

TUITION

$3,250

STARTING

Mar 3–Apr 20, 2027

LOCATION

Online

DURATION

6 weeks

COMMITMENT

6–8 hours/week

TUITION

$3,250

May 19–Jul 6, 2027

Online

6 weeks

6–8 hours/week

$3,250

STARTING

May 19–Jul 6, 2027

LOCATION

Online

DURATION

6 weeks

COMMITMENT

6–8 hours/week

TUITION

$3,250

Aug 4–Sep 21, 2027

Online

6 weeks

6–8 hours/week

$3,250

STARTING

Aug 4–Sep 21, 2027

LOCATION

Online

DURATION

6 weeks

COMMITMENT

6–8 hours/week

TUITION

$3,250

Explore