Karen Lelli Austin has served for the past nine years as an educational consultant on Differentiated Instruction Cadre and as a workshop consultant on differentiation since 1990. As an original member Differentiated Instruction Cadre, Karen Lelli Austin has consulted extensively with K–12 schools across the nation to build a solid understanding of differentiation and to improve the effectiveness of differentiated classroom instruction.

Karen Austin's career as an educator includes teaching high school English and teaching English abroad. More recently, she served as a faculty member at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education for five years, where she was the director of summer and Saturday enrichment programs. These programs serve K–11 students who are interested in extending their learning on a Saturday or in a residential, summer setting.

Throughout her career, Austin's special interests have included curriculum and instruction for second language learners and advanced learners. She is the current chair for the Special Schools and Programs Division of the National Association for Gifted Children. Karen Lelli Austin resides in Charlotte, N.C.