Social Entrepreneur: Conscious Companies | Benefit Corporations | Impact Investing

People who were involved in the criminal justice system are more than their labels. Karen Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Human Services. She was born during the 1960s civil rights era. “During my lifetime, I’ve seen quite a bit of discrimination. I’ve always wanted to do something about that in a way that was true to me.” Karen graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She served our country until the 1990s. After her military service ended, she attended the University of Washington School of Law, where she received her JD degree. “I wanted to be a civil rights attorney,” Karen explains, “but I found that I liked working with people and leading organizations.” She took several middle management positions. In 2005, she was asked to serve as the Commissioner for the Washington State Employment Security Division. “We would get these reports on employment and wages from the labor economists that work there. That’s when I saw the disparity that exists in society tod