Karen Volker was appointed Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative (URI) on March 1, 2025. She joined URI in January 2023 as Director of Partnership and Violence Prevention. Karen brings 25 years as a U.S. diplomat and ten years at the international nonprofit Cure Violence Global (CVG) to her leadership, earning respect across URI’s global interfaith network.

Karen’s leadership roles at State include serving as Director of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), managing a $530 million program promoting pluralism and prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa, and as U.S. Coordinator for the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, shaping U.S. policy and regional assistance in the Balkans. At CVG, Karen served as Vice President, introducing the health approach to violence prevention into new countries.

Her position at URI and career combining diplomacy, pluralism, and peacebuilding reflect MEMI’s commitment to ensuring that the voices of minorities are always taken into consideration.