About Karuna

Karuna (she/they) is dedicated to addressing complex and interwoven social justice problems, including economic, gender, health, and environmental justice.

For more than 20 years, Karuna has served as a visionary and strategic leader of organizations on the leading edge of policy and system change work. In addition to being a two-time executive director, Karuna ran a nationally-recognized outcome evaluation program, took part in an historic U.S. Supreme Court case, helped change the national conversation about breast cancer, and led winning corporate campaigns.

Karuna’s philosophy of activism, allyship, and agitation can be summarized in the adage: “Be hard on systems, but soft on people.”

As a consultant, Karuna helps organizations navigate change, strengthen and streamline systems, and build responsive and robust programs that produce real-world benefits for communities.

Karuna has an MA in Economic Geography from the UC Berkeley and a BA in Philosophy from Smith College. Karuna was a Fellow of the Women’s Foundation of California’s Solis Policy Institute and LeaderSpring.