INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
As its first executive director, Karen launched and directed the IPA, a nonprofit advancing architecture in the public interest. She oversaw all IPA operations and curated and produced its exhibitions and public programs. Karen initiated and led the IPA Fellowship, a biannual urban residency program for young designers.
More info at www.the-ipa.org and in The New York Times
MENTAL HEALTH BY DESIGN
Working with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, nine high schools in four boroughs, and a group of talented designers -- including Peterson Rich Office, Common Bond Design, DEMO Architecture, and ATTN ATTN -- Karen helped to produce and implement Mental Health by Design. The City's pilot program transformed disused high school classrooms into spaces promoting mental health, including meditation rooms and a recording studio.
Read more in The Architect's Newspaper
NEW HOUSING NEW YORK
Karen initiated and led New York’s first design competition for sustainable, affordable housing. She co-chaired the NHNY Steering Committee, comprising experts in residential architecture, building codes, and finance. Via Verde, the 222-apartment winner of NHNY, is one of the most widely praised recent housing projects in the US.
Read more in Domus
OPEN ARCHITECTURE/NEW YORK (FORMERLY ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY)
Karen co-founded this now 2,000-member organization, dedicated to design activism on the local level. She led its first participatory design-build project, for the Bronx arts nonprofit The Point CDC, published in Design Like You Give a Damn.
More info at http://oacny.org/
Regional Catastrophic Planning Team
Karen co-developed the nation’s first regional disaster housing plan, to coordinate government, nonprofit, and private organizations in housing recovery in the New York-New Jersey region. She recruited and led a planning committee of 200 housing, planning, and emergency management experts. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.