“As the adoptive mother of two daughters with FASD, I hope to bring both my lived and professional experiences to advocate for FASD United and those who are affected by FASD.”

Karen Poteet

Karen A. Poteet received her Master of Public Administration degree from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Nazarene University. She had over 36 years of experience in human services in two state systems, Illinois and Oklahoma, before she retired from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) in 2020. She held positions of increasing responsibility within OKDHS. From 2006-2010, she served as the Post Adoption Programs Manager and as the Oklahoma Administrator of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance. From 2010-2013, she was the Project Manager of two federally funded grants that developed innovations to find and keep foster parents and support kinship caregivers.

She completed her human services career by serving as the Director of Aging Services from 2017 through 2020, where she had oversight over the Medicaid waiver, which serves the most individuals in Oklahoma, as well as multiple additional federal and state-funded programs serving older adults and persons with disabilities. Under her tenure, the Oklahoma Caregiver Coalition was created and launched. She currently serves as the Chief Grants Officer of her alma mater, Southern Nazarene University.

Ms. Poteet and her husband were licensed foster parents in Illinois and adopted their two youngest children from the Illinois child welfare system, both of whom are on the FAS spectrum. From 2018-2024, Ms. Poteet served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the National Foster Parent Association.