Karen Francis has over 25 years of experience allocating and raising funding for leading nonprofits and critical community programs. As Director of Development, she is responsible for Child Guidance Center’s community outreach, donor relations and fundraising.

Karen has been an advocate of Child Guidance Center since 2004 when she conducted a site-visit of the agency in her role as Senior Program Officer at Orange County Community Foundation, where numerous donor advised funds supported CGC's innovative and evidence-based mental health treatment services for children and families. As Director of Community Relations at Orange County United Way, Karen continued to support Child Guidance Center and became a vocal champion about the critical importance of expanding access to early intervention mental and behavioral health services for children. 

In addition to allocating over $30 million in grant funding to nonprofits during her career, Karen has raised significant financial resources in her development roles at the House of Blues Foundation, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Children’s Bureau Los Angeles, partnering with business leaders, private philanthropists, celebrities and professional sports athletes. She holds a master’s degree in social work with a focus on nonprofit management from UCLA.

Karen enjoys time with her family, including her son Brooks and his busy academic and baseball schedules.