Karen Roberto celebrates a career of scholarship, mentorship, and impact

Karen Roberto has spent more than four decades building a reputation as a steadfast advocate for gerontology and the social sciences, mentoring students and faculty, and leading with authenticity.

On Sept. 1, the University Distinguished Professor will retire after 30 years of service to Virginia Tech, having served as director of the Center for Gerontology and founding executive director of the university's Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment. 

“Karen has always understood that lasting impact is measured not only by publications or grants, but by the people whose lives and careers we help shape,” said Dan Sui, senior vice president for research and innovation. “Through her remarkable scholarship, compassionate mentorship, and visionary leadership, she has inspired countless faculty, students, and colleagues to pursue bold ideas and meaningful research. The vibrant social science community at Virginia Tech stands as a testament to her dedication and generosity. Her legacy will continue to influence our university for many years to come.”

Roberto has devoted her career to answering questions related to the vulnerability, resilience, and social support of older adults with a particular focus on rural areas, dementia caregiving, and elder abuse. She has received nearly $14 million in external funding, authored or co-authored more than a combined 245 peer-reviewed articles and scholarly book chapters and 17 books, and shared her expertise at hundreds of professional conferences and gatherings across the globe.

As a member of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Roberto elevated the profile of aging research and education across the university. She championed interdisciplinary research, first developing the long-standing infrastructure of the Center for Gerontology and later leading the creation of the university's flagship institute for social science research and collaboration, the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment. 

Along the way, she mentored countless faculty members and students and shepherded nearly $10 million to support hundreds of faculty research projects. In 2015, she was named a University Distinguished Professor, a rank bestowed on no more than 1 percent of Virginia Tech faculty members and an honor she considers among the most meaningful recognitions of her career.

“From the moment she joined Virginia Tech, she was electric,” said Katherine Allen, professor emerita in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and colleague of Roberto. “She was personable, knowledgeable, had great ideas and just a passion for gerontology. Even though she became a highly successful administrator and a university presence, she never lost her academic passion. She always led with the mark of a scholar.” 

Roberto earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1979, followed by a master’s degree and Ph.D. in human development from Texas Tech University.

“As an undergraduate, I thought I was going to be a child psychologist,” Roberto said. “I was a member of one of my professor’s research groups and had opportunities for what would now be called community-engaged learning, and we were often in places with older people. Then, when I went to graduate school, my first assistantship was with my mentor who studied aging families, and well, the rest is history.”

She joined Virginia Tech as director of the Center for Gerontology in 1996 from the University of Northern Colorado’s gerontology program, where she quickly rose through the ranks to professor and served as the program coordinator.

In 2006, while continuing to lead the Center for Gerontology, Roberto was approached by Jerome Niles, professor and dean emeritus at Virginia Tech, to help develop and lead the university’s newly emerging social science investment institute. Roberto agreed to serve as interim director for 18 months, an appointment that ultimately became a 20-year journey as founding executive director of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment. 

"When I brought her name up to others who were involved in making that decision, their eyes just lit up," Niles said. "Her collaborative nature, resourcefulness, and strategic vision for social science research were exactly what we needed for the new institute."

During her time as institute director, Roberto paved the way for social science faculty, particularly early career faculty members, through funding programs, technical assistance, workshops, and other types of support.

“I firmly believed that the majority of the funds the university entrusted to us should be invested directly in faculty,” Roberto said. “But I always said we are not just about the money. We provide proposal development support, grant-writing programs, networking opportunities, mentoring, and other support that is just as, or perhaps more, important than the funding we provide. Faculty see the institute as a supportive place, and I’m proud of what it has become.”

She also raised the visibility of social science research across the university, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and expanding the institute’s reach by helping establish centers and new initiatives, including the Center for Communicating Science, the Center for Public Health Practice and Research, the +Policy Network, the Center for Rural Education, and the Whole Health Consortium.

Roberto spent her time not only mentoring faculty members, but students as well, helping shape generations of gerontologists.

“She met me where I was, a 22-year-old unclear of how I wanted to proceed and really allowed me to come into my own,” said Raven Weaver, associate professor at Washington State University and former student of Roberto’s. “It was a beautiful mentorship that allowed me to figure things out with her guidance and constant support, without feeling pressured to go a certain route. Never once did I feel like I was expected to follow in her footsteps. I feel like I did, but I came to that on my own.”

Roberto's natural talent and passion to mentor throughout her career did not go unnoticed, and in 2012, she received the Distinguished Mentorship in Gerontology Award in Behavioral and Social Sciences from the Gerontological Society of America.

“As relationships develop, whether it’s mentoring or working with faculty, students, or graduate students, it’s not one size fits all,” Roberto said. “It’s about listening to people, caring about their work, and realistically encouraging them.”

Reflecting on her 30 years at Virginia Tech, Roberto said it was a similar aspect that made the university such a meaningful place to build her career.

“People,” Roberto said. “I've had a lot of opportunities, and I’m grateful for them. I've had the freedom to pursue different interests, do the work I wanted to do, take risks, and build programs that make a difference.”