Speaker details

Biography

Karen has been a leading global freedom of expression advocate for 25 years, and AI governance leader. Karen is currently Director and Legal Advisor at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, leading a newly launched program with the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice that harnesses AI for good to expand access to justice for journalists and women globally. She directs the development of AI-powered tools, from co-creation and global testing to responsible deployment, in partnership with leading technology companies, making it easier for vulnerable communities to access trusted legal support. Prior to her role at CFJ, Karen served as SVP, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer at The Associated Press for 12 years, leading the legal operations for the news organization globally, as well as legal strategy, governance, risk, compliance, crisis management, AI policy, and press freedom advocacy, with particular emphasis on threats to freedom of expression, journalist safety, and content protection. She spearheaded AP’s risk management framework, directed the company’s AI legal and governance approach, led crisis response protocols securing the release of detained journalists globally, and managed industry-setting press freedom initiatives. Karen has been a leader in advancing press freedom protections globally. In both 2014 and 2022, Karen was instrumental in reforming the U.S. Department of Justice Guidelines on Subpoenas for Members of the Press, and served on the DOJ News Media Task Force for over a decade, meeting regularly with the U.S. Attorney General on press freedom issues. She has testified before the U.S. Congress for stronger protections for journalists, and has engaged on press freedom issues with global leaders and international organizations. Karen is Chair of the International Bar Association Media Law Committee, and is on the Steering Committee of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and also serves as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Media Development Investment Fund, the Media Advisory Council of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and the Advisory Committee for Lawyers for Reporters. Karen holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from Fordham Law School, and a certificate from the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD Business School (France). Karen is conversational in French.