Karen Scharff
Karen Scharff is the Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, a statewide grassroots organization that empowers New Yorkers to fight for social, economic and racial justice, with a focus on policy change at the state level. CANY, an affiliate of USAction, has 7 regional chapters & affiliates across NYS and mobilizes its 20,000 members on local, state & national issues & elections. It's played a leading role in successful campaigns to expand health coverage in NY, pass the Affordable Care Act, increase education funding, end prison-based gerrymandering, enact fairer taxes, protect Social Security and many other campaigns for justice. CANY’s current campaign is Fair Elections for NY, a drive to pass comprehensive campaign finance reform with public funding of elections at its core. CANY is also active in electing progressive candidates to office. It was a founding member of the Working Families Party; Karen serves as the WFP's co-chair. She has a BA from Harvard University.
