Karen McCarthy
I'm Karen McCarthy, a former lawyer, business graduate and keynote speaker on change and resilience, wife, and mother of two teenagers. I have lived experience of legal blindness and acquired brain injury, having incurred these disabilities in my mid-30s.
Over my career, I have demonstrated many of the professional skills the Board has identified, especially:
- expertise in governance, performance, and compliance;
- strategic thinking and policy shaping based on collective experience and evidence; and
- marketing, advertising, grant writing, and fundraising.
I also have also gained some experience in risk management and a basic understanding of auditing, accounting, and financial management.
If elected to the Board, I will bring strong analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as the commitment to sound governance, integrity and accountability that I've cultivated over a 20-year legal career.
Career highlights include 15 years at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, where, as well as assessing briefs of evidence and prosecuting cases in court:
- I led a small team of lawyers - including practitioners who've gone on to
hold judicial office - and had overall responsibility for their performance and professional development;
- Compiled a practice manual for an emerging area of law that was adopted by other jurisdictions; and
- Conducted liaison with police and investigative agencies who expressed a high level of satisfaction in client surveys.
After losing my sight, I continued my legal career with the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission. My responsibilities were both outward-facing, in assessing complaints from the public and making recommendations for findings against police and public officers, and inward-facing, in giving advice to internal stakeholders concerning the operations of the Commission itself.
I know about the optimal safeguards for integrity and accountability, including how to manage actual and perceived conflicts of interest and the steps to minimise corruption risks.
I offer strong written and oral communication skills and a deep reserve of compassion, empathy and genuine admiration for the creativity and resilience of people with disability and their supporters. While I no longer practice law, I would welcome the opportunity to use my advocacy skills in a broader sense for the benefit of QDN and its members.
In the past, I have written successful grant applications for a community kindergarten and led fundraising activities for local schools, charities and community organisations. Since starting my speaker business in 2022, I have gained practical skills in marketing and advertising, including appreciating the value of a strong brand and the effectiveness of speaking to the clients' needs, rather than the solution you offer.
I'm endlessly curious, an excellent listener, a confident speaker, and an eager learner with a basic knowledge of the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter. Through my own vision loss and ABI, I gained insight into the unique challenges faced by those whose life is affected by disability.
I would be honoured to serve as a director of QDN and commit to applying my skills to further the rights and interests of people with disability and the vision of QDN that there be nothing about us without us.