Karen Brown has over twenty years of professional human resource experience and knowledge. Although her experience has predominately been in health care, Karen’s background also includes manufacturing, human services, retail and education. She is currently the Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, Rockford, IL. Karen has a Master of Business Administration degree from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. She holds professional certifications: through the American College of Healthcare Executives, she is Fellow (FACHE); Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP); and Human Resource Certification Institute as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, American Society of Healthcare Human Resources Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Rockford Area Society for Human Resource Management. Karen is chair of the board for the Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance (formerly the Workforce Investment Board); co-chair of Process Analysis Team for Transform Rockford, past president of the board for the YWCA of Rockford; board member of the Byron Chamber of Commerce and the Discovery Center Children’s Museum; and immediate past president of the Board for the Central Illinois Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She volunteers for the Golden Apple Teacher Award program. Karen has served in several human resource leadership positions on a local and state-wide level and teaches human resource certification preparation classes through Northern Illinois University.

• Northern Illinois University - MBA, Business