Kari Groh: Championing Women’s Progress with Purpose and Passion
After more than four decades of trailblazing work at The Timken Company, Kari Groh’s professional journey reflects the power of persistence, growth, and giving back. With roles spanning public and community relations, global customer service, logistics and sales, brand strategy, reputation management, and investor, marketing, and corporate communications, Kari retired in 2016 as Timken’s vice president of marketing and corporate communications — the company’s most senior female executive at the time.
But Kari’s story didn’t end there.
Armed with deep expertise, Kari went on to counsel Fortune 100 and category-leading clients on brand and reputation management. She also leaned into personal passions like coaching, volunteering, and traveling, embracing new seasons of life with characteristic energy and curiosity.
Kari holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from The University of Akron and an MBA from Ashland University. Throughout her life, she’s made giving back a priority, particularly in Stark County, where she led numerous fundraising and capital projects and served on a variety of family-focused community boards.
A longtime advocate for women, Kari helped found Women’s Impact — a vibrant organization dedicated to helping professional women connect, grow, and lead. She served as its past president and board member and continues to support its mission as a legacy member. Kari also chaired the board of trustees for Stark State College and has frequently lectured across the U.S. and internationally on topics such as personal branding and leadership, often partnering with The Signature Program, a global executive leadership development initiative for women.
In 2019, Kari and her husband Gary relocated from Canton to be closer to their daughter and two grandsons, first in Michigan and more recently in Indiana. Along with their golden retriever, Luna, they’ve embraced retirement wholeheartedly — traveling, spending time outdoors, and diving into life in a new community.
Kari’s motivation for founding Women’s Impact is rooted in her personal history. “My grandmother in the ’40s and ’50s, and my mother in the ’60s and ’70s, were both working women — real trailblazers for the times,” she reflects. “It more or less was a given that our generation would build on their efforts, with our own working daughters becoming the true benefactors.”
Although she once thought progress would come naturally and easily, Kari came to recognize that despite decades of effort, women continued to face challenges gaining recognition and rewards for their contributions. “Where was the progress?” That realization fueled her commitment to creating a space where women could connect across disciplines, share experiences, learn from one another, and be supported.
“Those aspirations, along with many other goals, were shared by like-minded women who drove relentlessly to get Women’s Impact off the ground,” she says. “We built the momentum, and Women’s Impact quickly became a true force in the community. Legacy membership became an easy decision for me — to show my confidence in the organization and its ability to support women in achieving their ambitions.”
Today, Kari remains closely connected to her Women’s Impact friends and continues to inspire others with her story. Her message is simple but powerful: Go girls!
If you are thinking about leaving a legacy to Women’s Impact like Kari and the other legacy members, click here for more information.