Karen Baker was appointed by Governor
Schwarzenegger to serve as the first-in-the-nation
state cabinet Secretary of Service and Volunteering
on February 26, 2008. Prior to this appointment, she
served the Schwarzenegger Administration as the
executive director of CaliforniaVolunteers. Karen
brings to the organization 20 years of innovative
leadership in all facets of the service and volunteering
sector, including local and national non-profits and
federal agencies.
Karen Baker
Secretary of Service
and Volunteering
Previously, Karen served as the managing partner
for Valley Vision, a Sacramento-based “action tank”
that addresses regional economic, environmental
and social issues. She also served as the director
of innovation at Share Our Strength, a national
anti-hunger non-profit located in Washington, D.C.
Karen served as director for program coordination
and special projects for the Corporation for National
Service, and was appointed by President Clinton as
the deputy director for AmeriCorps*VISTA.
Before serving in Washington D.C., Karen was the executive director of Chrysalis, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless
individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.
Karen holds her bachelor of arts in Sociology from the University of California at Los
Angeles. After graduating from college, she served one year with the Jesuit Volunteer
Corps where she worked with at-risk youth in Seattle.
1110 K Street Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 323-7646
www.CaliforniaVolunteers.org