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Karen Gaffney

Fun Facts
  • She has a deep commitment to public service and the community
  • She served as Student Body President at the UO—many years ago!
  • She learned to play pickleball a year ago and now can’t get enough
Favorite Things
  • Spending time with friends and family
  • Hiking in the National Parks
  • All things food—growing, cooking, eating

Karen Gaffney, retired Director of Lane County Health & Human Services, joins the Funk/Levis team as a Strategic Consultant. In her more than three decades at Lane County in Eugene, Oregon, Karen worked at the local and state level facilitating equity and inclusion work, developing coalitions to impact larger health and policy concerns, and engaging consumers and providers in planning efforts for system design. She has led programs for behavioral health, primary care, public health, developmental disabilities, youth services, anti-poverty programs, and other human services programs.

With a strong foundation in forging community partnerships to ensure improved outcomes, leading department strategy, and addressing challenging issues such as the intersection of homelessness, behavioral health, and public safety, Karen is excited at the opportunity to work alongside the Funk/Levis team to continue to help serve the community.

Karen served on the Board of the Lane Community Health Council, the governing board for PacificSource Community Solutions’ Coordinated Care Organization that is helping to transform health care in Oregon, and was appointed twice by Oregon’s Governors as the Co-Chair of the Oregon Medicaid Advisory Committee.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Oregon, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from Oregon State University.

Karen Gaffney’s True Colors

Karen is a strong green in the world of True Colors. She is logically driven and an independent thinker. Karen can give you the “why” behind the solution as she has already carefully analyzed the details. Orange and gold draw her to the action with a goal-oriented mentality in a manner that lets others feel secure in knowing she will see the job through in an organized fashion. The blue that Karen exudes, allows her to stay true to herself while still being empathetic to others.