Karen Larsen brings a rich history of public service and proven leadership to the role of the Steinberg Institute’s first Chief Executive Officer. As a natural result of her own life’s experience, her academic training, and over thirty years of recovery she has achieved, she possesses an unwavering passion and extraordinary ability to improve the lives of California’s most vulnerable communities.

Prior to joining the Steinberg Institute, Karen served as the Director of Yolo County’s Health and Human Services Agency, an integrated agency providing social services, public health, mental health, and substance abuse services to the over 212,000 residents of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, and Woodland. Her leadership has inspired others to build bridges across systems as a mechanism for improving outcomes between health systems, the criminal justice community, school districts, cities, and many other key stakeholder groups and organizations.

Karen has been an active member of many statewide groups engaging in cross-system collaboration to address all determinants of health. She is a member of the California Health and Human Services Behavioral Health Task Force Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Stakeholder Advisory Committee, and co-chairs the Child Welfare Council Behavioral Health Committee.