Staff Interview: Karen Blakeney-GranadoOctober 6, 2008 |
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 With First 5 LA since 2005, Karen Blakeney-Granado is a manager with the Grants Management/Legal and Compliance Department. Karen supervises program officers whose initiatives focus on health and safety, as well as on technical assistance and capacity building. She is also the co-lead for the Partnerships for Families Initiative and has served as the lead program officer on the L.A. Universal Preschool (LAUP) contract. Karen was born in Evanston, Ill., and raised in Westchester, a suburb of Los Angeles. Her artistic talents were recognized early — at ages 7 and 11 her work was exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. As a college student, she took an interest in people, history and culture and graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and three minors: East Asian studies, Mesoamerican studies and anatomy/physiology. Karen then worked at the Vandenberg Air Force Base MX Missile Project and Space Shuttle Project as an archeological surveyor and then as a lecturer for the social science department at Cal State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Moving on from her work in archeology, Karen's interests evolved into a passion for helping people. Karen's maternal grandmother was a resident teacher at Hull House, a world famous social settlement house in Chicago, and helped influence Karen's choice. She enrolled in Mt. Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles and received her masters degree in counseling psychology and then went on to USC's School of Welfare to get her Certificate in Non-Profit Management. Karen's work in the community includes serving as the director of social work at the International Foster Family Agency; director of programs at Chinatown Service Center; president and CEO of Blackwolf LLC, a consulting firm specializing in non-profit executive coaching, strategic planning, program planning and fundraising support for non-profits; and executive director of Grace Center, an agency specializing in breaking the cycles of violence within families. Karen is also a published poet and has been noted three times in the Marquis "Who's Who in the World" for her work. In 2005, she received an Achievement in Poetry Award from the International Society of Poets for her poem, "Dancing", published in a poetry collection titled "Invoking the Muse". Karen has two sons, six grandchildren and lives in Atwater Village with her partner Ydalia (Lolly) Granado. Click below to hear our interview with Karen, as she tells us what inspires her about her work and more.
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