After a six-year battle with her teenage daughter’s depression and subsequent suicide, Karen Meadows left behind her successful career in the energy industry to immerse herself in mental health issues. She spent years reading about mental illness and reading her daughter’s extensive writing. She volunteered on a crisis line, at homeless youth centers, and on the Oregon Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Board of Directors. She also served on the Oregon Health Authority’s Children’s System Advisory Committee, advising state policies regarding children’s mental health and on the Oregon Alliance to Prevent Suicide (Alliance). The Alliance was established to advance public policy for suicide prevention, intervention and post-suicide response. Meadows currently serves on the Board of Directors for Oregon Family Support Network. Meadows has an Executive MBA from UW-Madison, an MS in Engineering from UC Boulder, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley. She lives with her husband and cats in Portland, Oregon.
