Karen Carbonneau has recently joined Friends as the Foundation Administrator. She is replacing Patti Amundson who has served the Foundation in this capacity for the past five years. Patti left the Foundation this spring to spend more time with her two young children.

Karen has worked many years at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and welcomes this newest challenge with Friends. Karen has had a variety of administrative support and managerial roles in healthcare over the years, and holds her MSW degree from the University of Washington. She is excited to be part of Friends and to further develop her knowledge of the inner workings of a nonprofit organization.

Karen indicated that it is rewarding to see the direct impact of donations in the awarding of the annual fellowship grant. "Friends is a well run organization that has kept its costs to a minimum, thereby assuring that the majority of contributions go directly to scientific research."

In these first couple of months at Friends, Karen has enjoyed learning the ropes and getting to know some of the Foundation’s donors. "It is extremely impressive and inspiring to see the level of commitment of our donors to the mission of the Foundation. I am proud to be part of such an organization." Karen wishes to acknowledge the invaluable support, training and insight she has received from Dottie Thomas, and hopes to bring the same level of organization and grace to the Foundation that donors have come to expect over the years from both Dottie and Patti.

Please feel free to contact Karen at kcarbonn@fhcrc.org or friendsjc@fhcrc.org. She can also be reached at 206-667-7108. Karen is available part time at the Foundation, Monday through Friday, and is looking forward to hearing from you.