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Karen M. Farabee (Austin, TX) is currently a Human Resources consultant and mother to her active middle school aged daughter in Austin, Texas. She left her position as executive manager of Human Resources (HR) for the Lower Colorado River Authority, an Austin-based company of 2,200 employees focused on providing energy, water and community services to the residents of Central Texas, in 2005. In addition to her experience in HR, she managed the Corporate Communications department for 2 years during her 15-year tenure at LCRA. Prior to joining LCRA, she held progressively responsible HR positions over a ten-year period for a variety of Austin companies ranging from banking to life insurance to communications in addition to serving as an adjunct instructor in the College of Communication.
Karen is certified as a senior professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the Society for Human Resources Management. In her position in Corporate Communications, she and her staff received several Best of Austin awards for their print and video communication pieces. She is a graduate of the Leadership Texas Program.
A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Communication, Karen completed her undergraduate and masters degrees in Organizational Communication. During that time, she co-authored and published two articles on employment interviewing and one on the rhetoric of the news media in various national communication journals with Dr. Frederic Jablin and Dr. Roderick Hart. Honors received during this time included being a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, receiving a Shell Oil Foundation Grant, selection as a UT College Scholar and being elected chapter president of her sorority. In her more than 35 years as an Austin resident, Karen has served in various leadership positions with the following local charitable organizations: Austin Children’s Shelter, Austin Theatre for Youth, Capital Area Volunteer Center, Foundation for the Homeless, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce – Committee for the Arts, Laguna Gloria Art Museum and the Center for Battered Women (now SafePlace).