Karolina Athanasopoulou

Karolina Athanasopoulou is an adjunct lecturer at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies, where she teaches Technology Integration in Project Management. With over 15 years of international experience spanning the U.S., the Middle East, and Europe, she bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world application in large-scale infrastructure and mission-critical construction.

Currently a Regional Program Manager at Google, Karolina leads front-end planning, risk management, and process optimization for data center campuses. Her industry background includes serving as Program Controls Lead at Meta, where she oversaw financial and work planning for leased data center assets, and as a Senior Manager at Exponent, specializing in construction consulting and project advisory for major utility projects. She began her career as a structural engineer designing bridges and large-scale infrastructure projects including ports and terminals. 

Karolina is committed to advancing the field of project management through automation, data-driven efficiency, and lean construction principles. She holds an MBA from MIT, an M.S. in Engineering & Project Management from UC Berkeley, and a B.Sc./M.Eng. in Civil and Structural Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. She is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Karolina served as a Treasurer and board member of the AACE chapter in San Francisco.