Karen Skinner Country Director, Change.org
Karen is a social movement leader, campaign strategist, innovator and thought leader on digital and offline campaigning.
She’s also a regular media commentator on issues including the future of democracy, innovation in campaigning and protest, combatting political disillusionment, empowering the voiceless and the triumph of people power. Karen has featured most recently in the Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, ABC News and Lateline
In 2012 Karen led the launch of Change.org in Australia. She has grown the user base to 3.6 million meaning one in seven Australians have now signed or started a Change.org petition. A petition now wins a victory every 24 hours in Australia. Karen has empowered petition starters to decriminalise medicinal cannabis, get domestic violence prevention lessons in schools and cap credit card surcharges.
Always at the forefront of campaign innovation, Karen has more than 15 years experience in leading union, political and social issue campaigns across Australia and New Zealand. In the past, that has included serving as the National Student President for the New Zealand University Students’ Association, several campaign roles within Australia's leading unions, a marginal seat campaign manager and the National Coordinator for the 'Say Yes' carbon price campaign.