Karen Williams
Karen Williams is President and CEO of 2-1-1 Orange County (211OC). 211OC links Orange County’s most vulnerable with the health and human service resources they need, when they need it, and provides hope to those who don’t know where to turn when looking for help. 211OC provides a platform for collaboration, shared information and stronger communication to strengthen the region’s safety net of services, including Homeless Management & Information Services (HMIS) database, Coordinated Entry System to house the homeless, Domestic Violence and Veterans collaboratives, among others. Preceding the merger with 211OC and being named to this position in 2013, Karen served as the Chief Operating Officer for OC Partnership for 2 years, and in this role oversaw all day to day operations including: the HMIS for Orange County, the Continuum of Care coordination (CoC), Technical Assistance to non-profits, and management of the Point In Time Count (PIT) of the homeless population in Orange County. Prior to entering the world of nonprofits, Karen was in the private sector, with management positions for organizations primarily in consumer information and database marketing arena, working with Fortune 500 companies. She has been brought into organizations to impact change and create growth. She also worked in Internet marketing and financial services. Karen brings to this leadership position at 211OC a lifetime of resource in the areas of technology and information systems integration, financial background and successful for-profit businesses. In addition, she brings 30+ years of experience in the areas of general management, business development, marketing, account service and finance. Her passion to both educate the community about those in need, as well as connecting people to help when they need it the most, is the driving force for herself and her team at 211OC, whose motto is: Help Starts Here 211OC.
