Karen Gillum

^Kare^{n Gillum

Karen has joined the Team at Community Waikato as a community advisor. Prior to this Karen was self employed, providing facilitation, training and development supports to individuals and organisations.}

^{Born and raised in a dairy farming family in Te Awamutu Karen has returned there in recent years with her partner and two daughters. A new baby will be joining the family in December.

Karen trained as a teacher of people with intellectual disabilities at Tokanui Hospital in the mid-80’s and was part of the deinstitutionalisation movement in the late 80’s that saw people return to their communities of origin. She has been the Chairperson of Lifestyle Trust since 2005. Interactionz (Lifestyle Trust’s operational name) is a community benefit agency focused on assisting people who are on the margins of community to determine what a good life means to them, and to actively work alongside their families, whanau, connections and supporters to create that life for themselves. Karen has also spent many years involved in school governance.

Karen has a strong belief in social justice and the importance of creating a society where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and belong in ways which are meaningful to them, with a particular interest in empowerment through information and knowledge, experiences and relationships.

Karen’s qualifications include Teaching (intellectual disability), Bachelor of Applied Management (Strategic) through the Centre for Assessment of Prior Learning at Otago Polytechnic and a Graduate Diploma in Not-for-profit Management through Unitec.}