Karen Pearson is employed at the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD) at Minot State University. Karen is a Consumer Housing Resource Specialist with the Money Follows the Person Housing Initiative through NDCPD. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Dakota.

Karen has had a wealth of experience in working with people who are elderly and/or disabled. She has provided direct care, program coordination, as well as developing programs such as the ND Senior Info-line and the ND Assistive Technology Info-line. She has also worked in other human service settings. Karen coordinated the crisis line through the Mental Health America in North Dakota, and most recently, coordinated programs on assistive technology, traumatic brain injury and voting rights for people with disabilities during her employment at the ND Protection and Advocacy Project. In October of 2011, Karen was awarded a medallion from the National Secretary of States Association for her work in providing voting training for people with disabilities.

My position with NDCPD is that of a Consumer Housing Resource Specialist.  I cover the southwest quadrant of North Dakota, and in my role, I help find housing for people in the Money Follows the Person program who want to transition back into the community from a nursing home, group home, or other institution.  Our team is also working on building a database of housing which will provide citizens of North Dakota with information on affordable, accessible housing that currently exists within the state.

Ms. Karen Pearson (pdf document)