Karen Turner Lee | Pioneer Human Services
As Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Human Services, Karen Lee leads one of the nation’s largest social-enterprise business organizations. Under Karen’s leadership, Pioneer successfully operates several businesses that generate revenue to meet customer needs and bottom line expectations that help fund its social mission.
Karen leads Pioneer’s unique business model and its 900 plus employees in over 60 locations throughout the state of Washington. Pioneer serves approximately 10,000 people annually through its job training, employment and other services to recover and rehabilitate their lives after experiences with criminal justice and substance use disorder.
Pioneer’s major business enterprise, known as Pioneer Industries, is an aerospace manufacturing company with over 100,000 square feet in two plants in greater Seattle. Pioneer makes over 1,000,000 parts annually and is known throughout the aerospace industry for superb quality, on time delivery and customer service.
Karen has an impressive career both in business and the public sector. She served for five years as the Commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department. She was an executive and had several leadership roles at Puget Sound Energy. Karen was also an associate attorney at K & L Gates in Seattle.
Karen is a native Washingtonian and is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law. She is Washington’s first female African American graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. There she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Russian Studies and a minor in engineering. She spent four years in the U.S. Army as a logistics officer stationed in Germany and Maryland.
Active in the community, Karen is a trustee at Western Washington University and a member of the Regence Blue Shield (Health Care) and U.S. Bank Washington Advisory Boards. She is also an appointed member of Washington’s Statewide Reentry Council. Karen has been named one of “Seattle’s Women of Influence” by the Puget Sound Business Journal, and more recently, received an “Executive Excellence” award from Seattle Business Magazine.
**Reminder – Also for our March meeting is the Carla Martin Drive for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, so be sure to bring your donations of infant/baby toys and latex free bandages!
Registration & Event Information:
- Emerald Queen Casino Ballroom & Conference Center 5580 Pacific Hwy East, Fife, WA 98424
(The Ballroom & Conference Center is located West of the Casino across the parking lot) - 11:15 am Registration/networking
- 11:30 am Lunch served
- Cost is $25 prepaid prior to March 10th, drawing is an additional $5 for 6 tickets
** Additional $10 for walk-in members, member sales on day of event, and non-members - Register online, by email, or fill out the registration form
The TCT meets September through June on the second Monday of every month for networking, lunch and dynamic speakers on important issues to the transportation industry. Members, their guests and others are invited.
Upcoming luncheon meetings:
- April 9th – Brandon Unterbrink, BNSF
- May 14th – Dr. Ali Modarres, University of Washington
- June 11th – John Wolfe, Northwest Seaport Alliance