Karen Fabiano

Karen Fabiano’s public service career spans 40 years. Currently she works for the Appalachia Regional Commission (ARC) which serves 423 counties, 13 states and over 26.3 million residents. Karen has managed 556 grants with a portfolio of $78 million in ARC funding and $131 million in total funding projects in her 8 years with ARC. These grants increased economic opportunities, deployed critical infrastructure, supported leadership, and significantly impacted the lives of the region’s residents. Karen has travelled from southern New York to northern Mississippi, positively impacting the Appalachian communities while collaborating with federal, state, and local partners to positively impact one of the most impoverished regions of America.

Karen’s Public service career began in 1983 when she worked for the State of Ohio’s Department of Development. Starting out as Field Service Representative she went on to become an Economic Development Manager, Assistant Office Chief, Director of the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia, and Assistant Chief of the Community Services Division. During the span of her 32-year career with the Department, Karen oversaw approximately $7,043,200,000 billion in development funds while supervising 165 professional staff. Karen has spent over 40 years of her career mentoring and empowering staff and assisting rural communities, non-profits and local communities with their economic development and infrastructure needs.

Karen received both her Bachelor (81) and MSW (83) from The Ohio State University. Her exceptional contributions to the field, along with her embodiment of the values of service, social justice, and integrity have exemplified her career.