Karen Levin is a native Daytonian, serving as executive director, trustee, and secretary of the Levin Family Foundation. The not-for-profit philanthropic organization grants about $1 million annually to Montgomery County organizations that focus on the hungry, the homeless, the medically underserved as well as women and children at risk. While health issues are a focus, the Levin Family Foundation also supports organizations as varied as Habitat for Humanity, The Human Race Theater, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the Dayton Art Institute, SICSA, and more.
Karen was appointed to the Executive Director’s position on January 1st, 2001.
Prior to her appointment, she worked in Biomedical Research at Wright State University and served as a physician assistant working in family practice and geriatrics. In 2008 she completed her Masters degree in Public Health from Wright State University.
Karen serves on the board of directors of:
- South Community Inc.
- Homeless Solutions
- Prevent Blindness (State of Ohio board)
Her favorite projects involve programs that deal with the medically underserved and children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Celebrating Life and Health is one of the main programs she works on throughout the year because she believes that it is morally wrong not to provide preventative health care testing to all segments of the population.
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Her trip to Madagascar and participation in the American Red Cross Measles Campaign in September and October 2004 was a life changing experience. She discovered that sometimes you have to go halfway around the world and experience true deprivation and hardship to uncover who you really are. She hopes to volunteer for more medical missions in the future.
Karen can frequently be seen on the bike paths riding her silver recumbent bicycle. She also works quite a bit in the fiber arts. Her specialties are knitting and weaving. The creed she lives by:
“Never believe your own PR!”
