Karen has a Ph.D. from Western University, which focussed on the impacts of trade liberalization on agriculture and the potential for Organics and Fair Trade networks to support viable and sustainable rural communities. Karen comes to Équiterre as a former faculty in the Social Justice and Peace Studies program at King’s University College of Western University; a policy advocate and researcher on sustainable food systems in Canada; a manager on a Canadian project in central Africa supporting women empowerment; an author on several peer-reviewed publications; and as a published voice in Canada exposing gendered violence as it impacts female scholars. From Équiterre’s Ottawa office, Karen works on pesticides at a federal level, advocating for improved pesticide regulation in Canada while promoting policies and programs that help to reduce pesticide dependence in agriculture.