Intro | Board of Directors | Management

Management

Karen Mahar
Special Assistant to President
Camillus House

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Ms. Mahar joined Camillus House in 1994 and during her 13 years with the organization has held numerous positions working in communications, grants, planning and program development. She is also currently a graduate student at Florida International University where she is working toward a PhD in Comparative Sociology, with a focus on homelessness.

Ms. Mahar is Board Member of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, as well as the Miami Coalition for the Homeless and the Allegany Franciscan Foundation. Previously, she served as Chair of the Miami-Dade Homeless Providers’ Forum and on the Boards of the Haitian Women of Miami and the Florida Office of Collegiate Volunteerism.

Ms. Mahar was a Fellow with Class II of the Miami Fellows Initiative, a leadership project of the Dade Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, graduating from the two-year long program in 2003.

Ms. Mahar has a passion for filmmaking and the visual arts, and in 2003 founded a non-profit production company, "Digital Spotlight Productions", which produced short documentaries on local social issues. She is now capitalizing on her talents and expertise in this area to help the Institute of Homeless Studies develop a line of DVDs. Healthy living is an important part of her life, and in addition to maintaining an active lifestyle, Ms. Mahar chairs Camillus’ Wellness Committee and is an Advisory Board member of the Florida Heart Research Institute’s for the corporate wellness program.

Raised outside of Rochester, NY, Ms. Mahar came to Miami in 1988 to attend the University of Miami, from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Motion Picture Production and Creative Writing. Today she is single and resides on South Beach.