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Select a name from the list below to read the full biography:
 Karen Thompson-Shaheen's work at Cobalt Group focuses on
education policy, evaluation and curriculum development as well as on medicine,
public health and health care. Her key
areas of expertise are strategic planning, program design, project management
and program evaluation. She likewise has significant expertise and experience
in resource development, creation of strategic partnerships and operations
strategies.
Ms. Thompson-Shaheen joined Cobalt Group after working for nearly seven years
at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where she developed
her skills in fundraising, strategic planning and curriculum development along
with a significant background and understanding of academic medicine, medical
research and public health. At the School
of Medicine, Ms. Thompson-Shaheen worked closely with the Dean of the School of
Medicine, senior School of Medicine leadership, hospital administrators and
research faculty at the medical school to develop the School of Medicine's new
undergraduate medical school curriculum, which focuses on integrating medical
education and public health; plans for a major mixed-use, academic and
commercial research center; and programmatic strategies around basic science,
translational, clinical and community health research projects.
Ms. Thompson-Shaheen currently serves on the Institutional Review Board of
University Hospitals Case Medical Center, where she evaluates proposed medical
research projects at the university and hospital.
Ms. Thompson-Shaheen was an integral team member in the strategic planning process Cobalt conducted for the
Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland during summer of 2007, where she helped
identify key areas of community collaboration, opportunities for improved
operational efficiency, streamlined organizational management and increased
board engagement.
While
at the School of Medicine, Ms. Thompson Shaheen developed a thorough
understanding of K-12 urban public education as the School of Medicine’s
planning representative for the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine (CSSM)
at John Hay High School.; Ms.
Thompson-Shaheen was instrumental in the development of the curriculum and
educational philosophy of the CSSM, and she continues to serve on the Board of
the CSSM. In addition, for the past 15
months, Ms. Thompson-Shaheen has been Cobalt’s project manager for the project
design and evaluation of Family Academy, a joint venture of the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District and Third Federal Foundation designed to support
children’s readiness to learn, support families and improve the service
linkages and referrals among the CMSD and other community-based
organizations. During this process, Ms.
Thompson-Shaheen has developed a broad network of colleagues within the CMSD as
she has, alongside CMSD academic leadership, developed program strategy and
structures as well as broad-based community partnerships. Work on the Family Academy project has
enabled Ms. Thompson-Shaheen to continue her research on innovations in urban
education, deepening her understanding of best practices in efforts around the
nation to shrink the achievement gap between urban students and their suburban
counterparts.
Ms. Thompson-Shaheen likewise serves as the project manager for Cobalt’s work with
the Cuyahoga County Department of Workforce Development, which focuses on
managing the Department of Labor-funded Manufacturing Access to Growth and
Innovation in Cuyahoga County – Northeast Ohio (MAGICC-NEO) project. During her work on the MAGICC project, Ms.
Thompson-Shaheen has focused on streamlining the career path for individuals
interested in pursuing manufacturing as a career, ranging from secondary school
students to new workers to incumbent workers. Ms. Thompson-Shaheen has worked with MAGICC partners – including the
CMSD -- to design programs intended to interest youth in manufacturing, as well
as align training programs with specific workforce needs of employers.
Ms.
Thompson-Shaheen received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from John Carroll
University and a Master’s in Art History from Case Western Reserve University.
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