Karen Phillippi

Karen Phillippi is a Senior Policy Advisor/Fellow for Welcoming America. She supports the organization in navigating federal and state policy and creates greater alignment among state and local actors and national partners. Immediately prior to joining Welcoming America, Karen completed a one-year Fellowship as a Senior Advisor with the US Citizenship & Immigration Service’s (USCIS) Office of Citizenship, Partnership & Engagement (OCPE). At OCPE, Karen served as a USCIS liaison with state and local governments on the development of outreach and informational programs. She also strategized and partnered with federal government colleagues to develop sustainable efforts of inclusion within the federal government.

Karen has been working in the field of immigration law and immigrant/refugee integration for over 30 years. She began her career by serving as the Immigration and State Department Specialist for US Senator Don Riegle. She then worked in various law firms for 20 years developing and managing employment-based immigration practices before joining the State of Michigan where she built and directed the Office for New Americans for over 9 years, developing programs and policies supporting immigrant and refugee inclusion at the state level. Karen is active in promoting the cultural and economic benefits that immigrants and refugees have on communities and striving for a more welcoming nation.

Karen lives in her hometown of Plymouth, MI. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Michigan State University. Karen is most proud of being a Mom to Tyler, her son who loves playing golf, producing music and working as a DJ.