Karen's Biography
Karen has had a long and varied career. She is a licensed clinical social worker in the State of Illinois with an MSW from University of Illinois-Chicago. She also has an MBA from Northwestern University and a MDiv from Louisville Seminary.
Karen began her career in child services. She was a caseworker for foster care and adoption at Baptist Children’s Home in Carmi, IL. She also served as the Clinical Director of Pathways School and Treatment Center, a day treatment center for emotionally disturbed children referred by Chicago Public Schools. Karen opened and served as the Administrative Director of the Child Psychiatric and Adolescent Psychiatric units at Lutheran General Hospital. She also opened and was the Administrative Director of Laureate Day School, a day treatment facility opened in conjunction with Maine Township Special Education District to serve pre-kindergarten through third grade students, many of whom were residents of the NICU at Lutheran General Hospital.
After attending Northwestern, Karen served as a Senior Consultant and later the Chief Quality Officer of Lutheran General Hospital. She studied with W. Edwards Deming the principles of statistical quality control as applied to processes in the hospital. Later she was a Manager in the Health Care Practice of Ernst & Young and a consultant at Good Samaritan Society, Sioux Falls, SD. Good Samaritan is the largest not-for-profit nursing home organization with over 250 sites. While at Good Samaritan she supervised the installation of HIPPA-compliant software for those sites and wrote a leadership curriculum for senior leaders.
In the past 15 years, Karen has served as a pastor of churches in the Presbyterian Church-USA, including First Presbyterian Church in Elgin, IL. She also served on the search committee to appoint the new president of Louisville Seminary and as a member of the President’s Roundtable.
Karen hopes to continue to serve the Elgin community in retirement.
Natalie Sleeth, In The Bulb There Is a Flower
“In the end is our beginning”
Text and Music: 1986, Hope Publishing Company