Testimonials

Hiba Haroon
Annie E Casey Foundation

An Invaluable Advisor Who Elevates Every Initiative

I've had the privilege of working with Karen on several projects over the last 8 years. Without doubt, she is one of the most knowledgeable, intuitive, and strategic individuals I know. Karen and I first worked together in 2017 to develop the field's first-ever financial coaching program design guide. Her knowledge of the financial coaching field was instrumental in supporting our team to conduct research and ecosystem mapping, and her writing skills supported us in developing content which was practitioner-focused and accessible.

We then had the opportunity to work together at the Annie E. Casey Foundation beginning in 2021 on the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt Initiative (although Karen had been managing and leading the project at the Foundation for a few years before then). It was on this project that I witnessed her exemplary relationship and project management skills at full display. She cultivated and sustained relationships with over 15 national and state-based organizations, lifted up successes, learnings, and opportunities for us to use to ground our funding decisions, and kept us informed of field-wide happenings.

Karen was a trusted strategic advisor to me during my time at the Casey Foundation. Most recently, Karen and I had the opportunity to collaborate on a project with the Enterprising Ventures of Color to select 5 organizations of color for a Financial Health Fellowship. Karen interviewed potential candidates, bringing her wealth of knowledge about nonprofits and the financial health field to support the team in selecting organizations who demonstrated both need and readiness to successfully engage in the fellowship.

No matter which project or initiative we have worked on, Karen has made both the process and outcome stronger. Her willingness to truly listen and hold multiple perspectives coupled with her outstanding organizational skills makes her an invaluable asset to any team. I recommend Karen without reservation and with tremendous enthusiasm to anyone in the field.

Velvet Bryant Annie E. Casey Foundation

Transforming Research, Relationships, and Vision into Measurable change

Karen Murrell and I have worked together on several initiatives, including the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt was a five-year multi-state initiative that engaged national and regional organizations in the South to promote financial stability, reduce predatory consumer debt, and expand wealth building pathways for individuals, families and communities.  

Collaborating with Karen Murrell on the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt Initiative was an impactful experience. Karen’s approach brought clarity and strategic action as we expanded our capacity to move from initial exploration to implementation of systems level change. Additionally, Karen worked in alignment with our collective vision to ensure each step of our initiative was informed by both data analysis, qualitative research and the lived experiences of community partners.

 Karen was also instrumental in developing content that amplified promising policy and practice solutions and shared cross-sector insights with various stakeholders - including funders, community-based organizations, policy makers, and community leaders. Specifically, she authored the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt case study, ongoing newsletter, and issue brief publications on the impact of medical debt, student debt, fines and fees, as predatory financial products.

 Karen also assisted with regional and national webinars, peer learning convenings, co-facilitated working group sessions for partners to identify common performance measures. Karen coordinated activities across national and state partners, funders, as well as AFN regional chapters in AR and TX. She codeveloped the Debt in Texas webinar series to educate stakeholders and supported the AR chapter to leverage initial investments to abolish $36 million in medical debt. With Karen’s partnership, we identified and elevated accomplishments from state efforts to community partners and funders.

 Karen’s leadership style is catalytic — energizing internal and cross-sector teams to align stakeholders for meaningful collaboration. She listens deeply, asks forward-thinking questions, and facilitates effective meetings and strategy sessions. With Karen, we helped organizations tackle system barriers to economic mobility and funders develop strategies to address debt.