Karen Peabody O’Brien

Karen Peabody O’Brien has extensive experience in institutional change and grant-making from the environmental, health, and community-building arenas. She founded and directed the nonprofit Advancing Green Chemistry (AGC), which worked to build creative connections between chemists and biologists seeking to create safer materials. Prior to AGC, Karen worked to shift institutional perceptions on safer chemicals at the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia and then at the American Chemistry Society’s Green Chemistry Institute.

In addition to serving on several foundation boards and associations, Karen has worked at the W. Alton Jones Foundation as Program Officer for ‘New Ventures,’ the foundation’s effort to identify and act on emerging issues and support rising social entrepreneurs. Karen has joined several NGO boards, including Heart to Heart International Children’s Medical Alliance, Hakone Gardens, and Sangam Arts.

She holds a BA from UC Berkeley in Development Studies, an MA from the University of Virginia in Government and Foreign Affairs, and a PhD in Political Science.