Director Strategy and Quality Practices Mental Health
Y-USA
Chicago, Illinois
Karen Friedman is the Director of Strategy and Quality Practices Mental Health at YMCA of the USA (Y-USA). Karen provides leadership to advance community-based services in local YMCAs and YMCA State and Regional Alliances across the US. She supports Y-USA in unifying collective strategies; activating leading practices; socializing growth strategies; sourcing national partnerships; supporting advocacy and public policy; and identifying industry trends to inform continuous quality improvement and emerging innovation for Mental Health.
Leading up to this role, Karen was the Senior Manager of Access and Ability with the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team at Y-USA. Karen provided strategic and technical leadership to Y-USA and local YMCAs in US disability law compliance and the inclusion and engagement of disability communities.
Prior to Y-USA, Karen was the Senior Director for Inclusion at the Hockomock Area YMCA in Massachusetts where she provided support and inclusive opportunities for members with disabilities and their families.
Karen has also served as the Assistant Director for the Center for Social Development and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a research center focused on promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities. Karen previously worked at the Maryland Department of Disabilities and the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore.
TP30 - YMCA Community Care Model
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM CT