07/10/08
Welcome to Karen Lesley-Lloyd, TU Executive Director
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The Tenants Union of Washington is excited to announce the hiring of a new executive director, Karen Lesley-Lloyd. The TU’s hiring committee is thrilled to have its thorough, thoughtful search come to such a successful conclusion.
“Karen brings a wonderful depth and breadth of experience, as well as a strong commitment to social justice,” said Irene Basloe Saraf, TU board president. “The TU has amazing, dedicated staff members who have continued the vital work of the TU since Siobhan Ring’s departure last fall. Karen will only add to the skills and passion that already inform the TU’s education, organizing and advocacy work.”
“It will be exciting to have an executive director whose interest in housing justice goes back many years to when she herself was part of a grassroots effort in organizing the tenants in her own apartment building,” noted Lynn Sereda, TU member and hiring committee member. “And being part of the hiring process gave me an appreciation for all of the commitment to the TU’s mission. From board members to staff members to tenant members, one vision we mutually share is just how important social justice values are to the work of the TU.”
Karen joins the TU after spending the past 14 years in the United Kingdom, where she studied, lectured and worked on human rights, immigrant, refugee and asylum issues. Prior to that, Karen earned her B.A. and J.D. at City University of New York and worked for the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Tenants’ Rights Project of State Senator (now Governor) David Paterson of New York.
“Tenants, especially now, need education about housing rights and the empowerment to enforce those rights so they can safeguard their homes and protect their families. There is also enormous work to be done at policy and grassroots levels,” said Karen. “The TU provides frontline services in defending tenants’ rights by supplying education, personal advice and support as well as promoting legislation to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords. I am honored to be able to work with such principled individuals. I look forward to meeting more TU members as we join together in these challenging times to achieve our goal of improving Washington tenants’ rights.”
Karen will begin work at the TU on July 7.