This appointment represents the first African American to hold this position in the state of California and fills her with pride as well as a heightened sense of responsibility. Karen combined her love for children with her professional experience to fulfill a life long dream of supporting those children that have the greatest need. In her current position she oversees an office of approximately 136 employees that provide professional support to families in the areas of paternity testing, establishment of child support orders and medical orders, and enforcement and modification of those orders.
Prior to her current position, Karen served as a Budget Analyst for the Mayor's Office of Budget and Legislative Affairs assisting in the development of the City's 2001-2002 fiscal year budgets under Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. Her career with the City and County of San Francisco began in 1998 with her position as a Budget Analyst with the Bureau of Finance for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. There she managed the operational budget for San Francisco Water Department and Water Supply and Treatment for five years. Before joining the City and County of San Francisco, Karen held the position of Assistant Secretary of Manufactures Hanover Trust Company in charge of Book-Entry Trade settlements for government backed securities.
Karen is currently a member of the A. Philip Randolph, San Francisco Chapter and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) San Francisco Chapter. She has served as a member of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences since September, 2006, the San Francisco Domestic Violence Council since 2007 and the San Francisco Re-entry Council since 2006.
When asked what she has learned through her experiences, she states "I have had the unique opportunity to manage funding shifts at the federal, state, and local levels. My fiscal experience has prepared me well for the reprioritization of social programs and the development of business strategies that make the most of both human and funding resources that allow social programs to continue providing the best customer service to our clients."
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