Karen Charnow Lior
Karen Charnow Lior is the Executive Director of the Toronto Workforce Innovation Group (TWIG). TWIG conducts research, disseminates information and convenes stakeholders to address workforce development issues in Toronto. Karen been involved with workforce development programs and policy for 20 years. Before joining TWIG, Karen was the National Representative on Training at the Canadian Labour Congress, responsible for apprenticeship, sector councils, workforce adjustment and lifelong learning. From 1992-2002, she was the Executive Director of A Commitment to Training and Employment for Women, an Ontario umbrella group of women’s training and employment services, with a year off to work at the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities as a senior policy advisor to the Labour Market Agreement negotiation team. Karen is the author and/or editor of numerous articles on labour force development including, “Promising Practices: Connecting Highly Educated Newcomers to Sector-Specific Employment”, “Shopping for Training”, “Still Shopping for Training”, 2001, and “Innovative Approaches to Apprenticeship”. Karen arrived in Canada in 1987 and, after learning that she needed Canadian experience and Canadian credentials to work in her field, she earned a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies from York University. She has a BA from the University of Maryland, College Park. She lives with her partner, who is the father of her 2 children. Karen is a community activist and popular educator.
