Staff & Leadership

Karen Parker, President & Chief Executive Officer 

Karen Parker is the President & CEO of Safe Alliance, an organization that provides sexual assault and domestic violence services to over 8,000 people annually throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

For the past 30 years, Karen has served with governmental and social justice organizations in North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. In 2009, Gov. Beverly Perdue appointed her to chair the North Carolina Domestic Violence Commission. Karen is also a past board co-chair of the North Carolina Coalition against Domestic Violence. Currently she serves as Chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Family Justice Center Steering Committee. In 2017, Karen was awarded the Peter Gilcrest Lifetime Achievement award from the Crime Victim's Coalition. Two years later, she was honored for her equity and diversity work when she was recognized by Leading on Opportunity as an Inaugural Opportunity Champion and by the Charlotte Association of Fundraising Professionals as Outstanding Champion of Diversity.