Karen Bowman is a native of Seattle and has been advocating for safe and equitable working conditions and environmental health for over two decades. She has an Advanced Practice Degree in Community Health Systems with a special focus in Occupational and Environmental Health. Ms. Bowman owns her own firm in Seattle that assists clients with health and safety compliance, regulatory and wellness education and onsite health care services, along with environmental health advocacy for the global community. Karen partners with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health and employers to ensure healthy and safety environments for workers. She is the past President of the Washington State Chapter of the Association of Occupational Health Nurses and is a certified occupational health nurse specialist.

Karen teaches at the University of Washington and uses her company and clients as educational platforms for nursing students to gain critical "hands-on" experience in multiple settings, such as construction, shipbuilding, biotech, and city municipalities. Karen Bowman & Associates simple and innovative approach to health and safety compliance and wellness enable companies to participate at their own level of interest and expertise. The company can assume full responsibility for health and safety compliance or we can develop sustainable programs that are easy to learn and implement.

Ms. Bowman has strong connections with the community and is very concerned about the health of our environment. Karen precepts nursing and environmental science students from Seattle University, Western Washington University and the University of Washington in environmental health policy and advocacy, giving students "hands-on" experience in the legislative arena where they learn that one person can actually make a difference. Her position as the Environmental Health Specialist for the Washington State Nurses Association strategically places her in a prime position to advocate for State and Federal environmental health legislation that strengthens sustainable food systems, chemical policy reform and clean air, healthy jobs, etc.

She currently sits on the Charter Advisory Committee for the Hazardous Drug Rule, implementing model programs for employers and employees who work with antineoplastics and other hazardous drugs.