Karen Harley

Karen Harley

Vice President of Communications, Grants, and Government Relations

Karen joined Illumination Foundation in 2018 and oversees strategic communications, grants, and government relations. Karen has a passion for storytelling, cause-related marketing, and healthcare. She communicates Illumination Foundation’s story and impact on the homelessness crisis to a variety of stakeholders, helping position Illumination Foundation as a leading service provider for the most vulnerable homeless individuals, children, and families in our communities.

Karen has more than 30 years of marketing, communications, and public relations experience, producing results for a broad array of clients. While working for the public relations firms Hill+Knowlton and PainePR, she managed large-scale public education campaigns for the California Department of Health Services, California Department of Public Health, and other state agencies that helped drive behavior change among hard-to-reach, low-income, and diverse consumers by engaging them where they live, work, shop, learn, and play. Her previous positions also include serving as Vice President of Marketing Communications for a nonprofit that funded research for a rare disease. Karen has a BA in English and Psychology from Indiana University.