Karen began the role of Executive Director for United Recovery Fund in June of 2023 after retiring from a 23-year career with CARITAS in Richmond, Virginia, and relocating to Biddeford, Maine. CARITAS is one of Richmond’s largest and most effective human services organizations which provides a continuum of services including year-round, housing-focused emergency shelter, Virginia’s only furniture bank, a 300+ bed residential recovery program called The Healing Place, a workforce development and life skills program for men and women with significant barriers to employment, and 47 sober-living apartments.
As President and CEO, Karen led the successful $15.5M capital campaign and the development of a complex tax credit model including historic and New Market tax credits to create the CARITAS Center. CARITAS moved into the new $28M, 150,000-square-foot facility in December 2020. Karen has been recognized for her leadership with many awards over the years. In 2020, Karen was a Richmond Times Dispatch “Person of the Year” honoree and in 2022, she was the Ukrop Community Vision Award winner. She served on several boards in Virginia and since moving to Maine, has joined the board of Ketcha Outdoors and begins her term as Chair in January 2024.
