Karen joined the Northern Territory Government in 2003 and has held a number of senior executive roles across government including Senior Director, Across Agency Coordination, Senior Director Housing Services for Territory Housing, Executive Director Corporate Services for the agencies of Children and Families, Land Resource Management, Primary Industry and Resources, Housing, Local Government, Community Development, Executive Director Strategic Communications and Engagement for the Department of Chief Minister, and Executive Director, for the Remote Housing Investment Program responsible for remote community engagement, communications and stakeholder engagement, governance and reporting and Secretariat for the Joint Sub-Committee for the National Partnership Agreement.
Karen has driven and delivered strategic, operational and cultural reform and service transformation, business and service re-engineering, and led organisational strategic priorities to drive sustainable outcomes for the organisation and the community.
In late 2020, Karen joined the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES) to establish the Community Resilience and Engagement Command.
The Community Resilience and Engagement Command provides a Tri-Service approach with specialised proactive community engagement, undertakes comprehensive cultural reform and administers the Aboriginal Liaison Officer (ALO) Program. The Community Resilience and Engagement Command provides intensive mentoring and support to the NTPFES employees including the Aboriginal Liaison Officers.
The Community Resilience and Engagement Command has a remit that extends across the Northern Territory and includes Aboriginal sworn officers and public servants.