#MIZTalk with Karyn Dest Harrington

Karyn (Dest) Harrington is an experienced global business leader. Currently, Karyn is Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability for The Coca-Cola Company's business in Africa.
 
A 21-year Coca-Cola veteran and past Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation scholarship recipient, Karyn has worked in many areas of public affairs, communications and sustainability – including media relations, government relations and internal communications. She also has worked on a wide range of initiatives - from global events to Covid-19 to disaster relief.

Outside of Coca-Cola, Karyn has served in a number of roles tied to the University of Missouri including:

• Current member of the University of Missouri’s Jefferson Club Board of Trustees
• Adjunct professor of business communications at the Trulaske College of Business
• Speaker for the Raymond M. Solomon Memorial Lecture at the School of Journalism in 2019
• Past member of the Mizzou Alumni Association Board of Directors
• Past member of the Griffiths Leadership Society 

 
Before Coke, Karyn was a reporter for NBC-TV affiliates in Missouri (KOMU) and Michigan (WILX), where she drove multimedia reporting across TV, radio, newspaper and web platforms.
 
In 2023, Karyn graduated with a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and she also was named to the National Honor Society. She graduated with honors from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and earned dual MBA degrees from the Cornell University S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management in New York as well as the Queen’s University Smith School of Business in Canada.