meet the president...

Karen A. Simmons

President/CEO Chester County Community Foundation

Biography

As head of the Community Foundation, Simmons focuses on increasing legacy philanthropy throughout Chester County.  A collection of over 300 donor advised funds and fields of interest funds, the Community Foundation annually awards $2 million in grants and scholarships to the charitable priorities of those who live, work and enjoy Chester County. 

Simmons joined the Community Foundation in 2001 after 15 years of service as Executive Director of LaSalle's Nonprofit Center in Philadelphia.  There, she orchestrated capacity building programs serving over 8,000 small to mid-sized nonprofits in the Greater Philadelphia region, specializing in strategic planning, resource development, board development, and impact evaluation.  In 1998, Simmons was recognized as one of fifty of the nonprofit sector's most influential U.S. leaders by the Nonprofit Times.