karen kaur has dedicated her life to interrupt and dismantle gender-based violence since she was a young girl. She is passionate about community-led and multi-sector collaborative systems change for health equity, intersectional racial, gender, and economic justice, and violence prevention. She actively engages in uprooting the systemic causes of domestic violence to prevent trauma and violence and nurture safety and healing for all, especially the most vulnerable.

Most recently, karen held leadership positions with the International Rescue Committee and WEAVE Inc. to drive systems change in economic/housing security and healthcare access for refugee and immigrant families and children impacted by gender-based violence and child-trafficking. In addition, karen has worked with victim-survivors of gender-based violence in emergency shelters, managed domestic violence, sex-trafficking, and sexual assault crisis calls, and facilitated support groups for children exposed to violence.

As a proud daughter of working class immigrants from Punjab, she always leads with her heart to build a more just, loving, and equitable world. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Youth Forward, an organization dedicated to improving the health, education, and wellbeing of our most vulnerable children and youth.