Kara Sheppard-Jones
Canada
- Program Year
- 2017-19
- Country of Current Residence
- Canada
- City/Town of Current Residence
- Montreal
- Current Position
- Sauvé Fellow
- Organization
- Jeanne Sauvé Foundation
- Profession(s)
Project Manager, Consultant
- Sector(s)
- Education, Non-profit / Philanthropy, Public health, Social Sector Consulting
- Language(s)
- French, English, Spanish
- Interest(s) / Expertise
- corporate social responsibility, education, empowerment of women, leadership, social entrepreneurship
Kara is passionate about finding and accelerating innovative and sustainable initiatives that promote social justice and advance equality. She is dedicated to ensuring access to meaningful and equitable educational and professional experiences for marginalized youth, women and minorities.
Kara is currently a project manager at Credo, a social impact consulting agency. She applies best practices in innovation, communications and management to accelerate her client’s social innovation and philanthropy initiatives.
Some of her key client projects have been fine-tuning the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation’s fundraising strategy, re-imagining the National Bank of Canada’s approach to philanthropy, and the conception of a new fund for social entrepreneurs, among others.
Prior to Credo, she was involved in Teach For Canada’s debut, where she contributed to the organization’s teacher recruitment strategy and developed its university ambassador program.
During her time in university, she co-founded Yale College’s Net Impact chapter, the school’s largest undergraduate social entrepreneurship hub, where she oversaw the creation of a consulting team, an MBA mentorship program and the university’s first social sector recruitment fair.
She has worked in public health, women’s empowerment, and small business growth initiatives in India, Cuba, Guatemala, and Mexico. Her senior thesis at Yale drew from her experience living and studying in Cuba, and explored the promise of the social economy as the default economic model for Cuba in transition. She’s quick to join any conversation on immigration, women in the workplace and innovations in education.
Kara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Yale University. She previously attended the United World College – USA in New Mexico, as a scholarship recipient and representative of Canada.
In 2014, Kara was chosen as one of 100 delegates from across Canada to attend the New Canada Conference and re-envision Canada in 150 years. In 2009-2011, she received a full scholarship to study at the United World College. In 2009, she received the Lieutenant Governor Award Youth Medal and the Prince of Edinburgh Award for youth leadership.