Karen Rea

Managing Director

Karen Rea has been a recruiter her whole career and truly enjoys connecting in meaningful ways with inspiring leaders and clients at critical junctures. With early experience across industry domains including healthcare, high tech, consumer packaged goods and consulting, Karen turned her focus to mission driven work in 2007. Since then, she has partnered with hundreds of nonprofits, foundations, NGOs and social enterprises. She is deeply committed to helping clients build diverse teams that embrace a variety of professional and lived experiences and create inclusive cultures that reflect the communities they serve.

Before joining GoodCitizen she served as a Managing Director at Koya Partners, the nonprofit and social impact practice for Diversified Search Group, where she led executive searches for United Way Worldwide, Tides, College Track, Hewlett Foundation, MomsRising, Pioneer Human Services, Basic Rights Oregon, PowerSwitch Action, Code for Science & Society and the Center for Open Science, among others. 71% of the candidates selected as a result of her searches at Koya self-identified as people of color.

Karen has recruited leaders working on a wide variety of issues including global health/pandemics, WASH, climate change, nuclear proliferation, middle east conflict, reproductive justice, social justice, policy and advocacy, equitable access to education, equitable access to the arts, movement building and systems change. She has recruited across the US and internationally in Europe, South America and Africa.

Prior to Koya, Karen’s clients included: Sierra Club, Audubon Washington, PATH, Splash, Skoll Foundation, Skoll Global Threats Fund, Sightline Institute, Code for America, ORS Impact, Room to Read, Year Up Puget Sound, Mockingbird Society, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, David and Lucille Packard Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Seattle Foundation, King Philanthropies, Schultz Family Foundation and many others.

Karen holds a bachelor’s degree from Saint Michael’s College and completed studies in career development/coaching at John F. Kennedy University. She is passionate about travel and learning new cultures and has been fortunate to live and work abroad twice. She enjoys art and independent film, cooking an elaborate meal for loved ones and a perfect row on a glassy lake.