Karen Hinshaw, MS, is the new Program Manager for Community Health Partnerships. Her role was effective August 1, 2024.
Previously, Hinshaw served as the Associate Program Director for the Connections IN Health initiative, which is part of the larger Community Health Partnerships program.
Gina Claxton, MPH, RD, who recently was promoted to Senior Director of Strategic Operations for the Indiana CTSI from the position of Program Manager for Community Health Partnerships, has worked closely with Karen over the course of her five years leading Connections IN Health.
“I look forward to seeing Karen grow in this new role and I am confident in the positive leadership she will bring to our team,” she said.
Related story: Gina Claxton Named New Senior Director of Strategic Operations for the Indiana CTSI
Hinshaw brings a wide range of experience to this new role, serving as a Purdue Extension Educator and County Extension Director for 14 years prior to joining Connections IN Health. She also has been personally involved within her community, serving as a founding board member for a new non-profit and as a board member for other non-profits before that.
Her experiences of partnering with community members and teams to implement positive change in their community will be a great asset in her new role.
Hinshaw, who describes herself as a “lifelong learner,” said she is excited to learn more about Research Jam, WISE, All IN for Health, and the Indiana CTSI as a whole. “I’m eager to meet new people and deepen my relationships with those I have met and not yet had a chance to work with,” she said.
Additionally, Hinshaw shared that those engaging with her in this new role can expect her to approach her work thoughtfully.
“You can expect me to ask questions and to request to be invited to events/meetings so that I can learn,” she said. “I learn best by listening, observing, and participating. I’m often pretty quiet to begin with so that I can talk it all in. Once I have an understanding, I’m usually full of ideas.”
Outside of work, Hinshaw enjoys travelling, working in her flower garden (where she raises butterflies), and spending time with family and friends at music events. She is married to her husband, Todd, who works as a full-time farmer on the grain farm she grew up on, and they have two daughters, one who is a newly engaged NICU RN at Riley Hospital for Children, and the other who is studying aerospace engineering at Western Michigan University. She and Todd also spend time volunteering at their local food pantry and helping patrons of the pantry with financial budgeting assistance.
