Karen Leventhal

Karen is the Director of the Tarjan Center Service Inclusion Project (TCSIP). She sees her role as Catalyst, Community Organizer and Insight Generator. The Tarjan Center Service Inclusion Project, through grantmaking, coalition development, evaluation, and training and technical assistance, creates communities where everyone can serve.

TCSIP has successfully delivered on $1.75 million in grants and contracts related to the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in service and volunteerism.  TSCIP has distributed more than 30 seed grants, provided approximately10, 000 instances of technical assistance, established service inclusion coalitions in 10 cities, which engaged more than 1000 community stakeholders. These activities led more than 5000 individuals with disabilities to give 65,000 hours of service to their communities, and led 500 community-based organizations to show demonstrated improvements in accessibility. Since 2003, TCSIP has helped people with and without disabilities come together to solve community problems. 

Karen holds an M.S. in Community Development from the University of California at Davis and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester. She is an AmeriCorps*VISTA alumnus and former AmeriCorps outreach consultant. She has a background in training and program management. The Service Inclusion Project combines some of her major interests, including: inclusive communities, public service, and the collaborative process. In her off time, she is a creative writer and fitness enthusiast.