Karen Helmerson

For more than twenty years, Karen Helmerson has been active in non-profit management, community media development, and policy in the public interest, as an administrator and as a board member for several organizations.  She is currently the Director of Electronic Media and Film at the New York State Council on the Arts, funding independent media arts and culture.  As a funder, Ms. Helmerson oversees the allocation of 2.8 million dollars to more than 200 non-profit arts and cultural organizations annually.  Her responsibilities at NYSCA include the facilitation of seminars and focus groups on new media research and technology advancements, and professional development on sustainability in non-profit management.  Ms. Helmerson represents the New York State Council on the Arts throught the Media and Film Program at local and national conferences and conventions.

In addition to her career in the media arts, Ms. Helmerson has maintained a lifelong interest in marine history and culture.  She is presently on the board of Tall Ships America and is very active as a member of the New York harbor and waterfront community, offering her services and expertise as both a volunteer and a consultant on various projects and initiatives.  Ms. Helmerson was awarded a national 2006 Rockwood Fellowship in Media, Communications, and Information Policy and remains active as a Media fellow in Rockwood's Leadership Program.  She is also a former Rockefeller Warren Weaver Fellowhip nominee of the Benton Foundation in 1997.

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