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Karen Riley is the director of the Financial Services Pipeline (FSP) for Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance at The Chicago Community Trust.
The FSP is an employer lead collaborative that focuses on increasing the representation of Black and Latinx talent at every level in the financial services industry. Now, in its tenth year as a donor advised fund of The Chicago Community Trust, Karen is proud of the body of research and focus the organization has placed on building an equitable and inclusive talent pipeline for Chicago’s financial services industry.
Before joining the Trust, Karen was Executive Director of the Business Leadership Council (BLC), where she built out the physical footprint of the organization and developed its strategies to open opportunities to economic inclusion. Karen convened Chicago’s public officials and private sector business leaders to strategize with Chicago’s leading Black owned business owners to conduct meaningful business that would benefit the community with jobs, investments, and improved social impacts.
Prior to joining the BLC, Karen served as Compliance Officer and Assistant General Counsel at Loop Capital Markets LLC. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois and earned her series 7, 24, and 63 securities licenses.
Karen is the proud mom of a Howard University graduate and Air Force Academy cadet. Always busy, Karen enjoys leading causes in support of her North Kenwood Oakland neighborhood where she can be found playing fetch with her dog Tiko.