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Socially Responsible Agricultural Project www.sraproject.org/ ICCAW Illinois Citizens for Clean Air and Water www.iccaw.org President of the Board National Dairy Education Alliance Founder, President FARM Families Against Rural Messes www.farmweb.org
Karen Hudson was born and raised in the Chicago land area has lived on a fifth generation family farm for 32 years in Peoria County Illinois. She attended Illinois State University and received a Bachelors Degree of education in 1978. She a founder of F.A.R.M. (Families against Rural Messes), a grassroots group created in 1996 to oppose the influx CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) in West Central Illinois. She served on the Board of directors of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance for nine years she is also a co founder of ICCAW (Illinois Citizens for Clean Air and Water) and President of the board of the national Dairy Education Alliance. Karen currently works as a "first response" consultant for the national Socially Responsible Agricultural Project
Since 1996 she has worked with Illinois elected officials to promote stronger livestock rules and regulations. Karen was appointed by Representative Mike Smith to the Illinois House/Senate Joint Livestock Advisory Committee in 1997 to review livestock laws in Illinois.
Karen has been a guest speaker at numerous venues including the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Iowa State University, Ohio State University, Chicago Media Watch conference at Loyola University, Illinois Board of Realtors meeting, Northwestern University Civil Engineering Seminar, University of Michigan Environmental Law Society Clinic, Western Illinois University, NALBOH National Association of Local Boards of Health annual conferences, Chicago's Green Festivals and other national events covering the impacts of industrial food systems.
Karen was named "Conservationist of the Year" by the Heart of Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club. She was invited to tour Poland in 2001 as a guest of the Polish Farmers Union and Polish Veterinary Chamber. While there she spoke with Polish media, farmers, and small slaughterhouse operators about the devastating impacts of CAFOs in the United States. While in Poland she was awarded as an honorary member of the Polish Ecological Society, Polski Klub Ekologiczny, for her dedicated work.
Karen was one of fifty people in the United States chosen to be on the national "Environmental Power List" by the Organic Style Magazine. Her work has been covered by the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun Times, the Los Angeles Times, Democracy Now, NPR, and numerous state, national, and international media. Karen is one of three United States environmental activists portrayed in the recently released book, Animal Factory, written by New York Times best-selling author David Kirby. The book in turn continues to educate the population by appearing on Larry King Live and other national media.
Karen was recently was selected to speak at the International TedDxManhatan Conference held in New York City in February 2011. The conference, Changing the Way We Eat will explore the food system -- from what happened, to where we are, to what we are doing to shift to a more sustainable way of eating and farming and will be telecast across the United States.
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