Karen Stephen
Deputy Chair since 2021 | Board member since 2018
B. International Studies & Economics (University of Denver)
Karen’s journey with Young Life began in High School, where a young teacher invited her to club and then summer camp at Frontier Ranch in Colorado. There, in the Rocky Mountains she was first captivated by the love of Jesus. After finishing university, Karen moved to Sydney with her husband, where she connected with Young Life Australia. In her 25 years of involvement, she has been a volunteer leader, a staff member, a committee member, a donor and now a board member.
Karen has run the National Student Leadership Forum in the Australian Parliament for 11 years, overseen the NSLF Internship program and the development of “Forum Bridging Initiatives” in several communities around the South Pacific. In 2017 she stepped down as CEO, but remains involved, sitting on the NSLF Board and mentoring University students. Karen has extensive experience in operations and project management, and is currently working full time helping manage an e-commerce start up in Sydney.