Skip to main content

Cornell University

Karel Hilversum

Lead Facilitator, Former Director of Cornell Team & Leadership Center and Former Director of Cornell Outdoor Education

Karel served as the third director of the Cornell Team and Leadership Center from 2016 to 2024 and as the fifth Director for Cornell Outdoor Education from 2018 to 2024. During his tenure, COE experienced tremendous growth and set the foundations for a more inclusive organization. He is a proud native of Puerto Rico and still holds strong ties to the island. He has designed and delivered challenge course programs, outdoor adventure education courses, and leadership & team development workshops for over 30 years to hundreds of groups across the Americas and the world. Currently, Karel serves as a Faculty of Leadership at the prestigious Selander Engineering Leadership Program at Cornell University’s College of Engineering. He is a sought-after professional leadership coach and trusted advisor for leaders from around the world for organizations like NASA, Google, Amazon, Meta, Disney, Workday, BlackRock, and many more.