Karen Edwards is the Director of the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth and Families (CUP) at the University of Alberta. She is a highly motivated and passionate research director with two decades of experience in community-based research, partnership development, strategic planning, evaluation, and knowledge mobilization. She has coordinated Canadian engagement in a global polar science program, fostered community engagement in a national research capacity building program for Indigenous health, and collaborated with provincial organizations to develop indoor air quality programming for schools. She has worked in Alberta, British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, northern Canada, and internationally. She values authentic community engagement in research, strong network collaboration among community, government, academic and funding partners, healthy environments that foster staff/team innovation and excellence, and evidence informed decision making for practice, program and policy.