Kara McDonagh is a social worker, community organizer, non profit leader and artist who has worked with youth and communities for the past 17 years. Ms. McDonagh has an extensive history of working with young people, communities, and organizations to facilitate change and produce positive outcomes.

Ms. McDonagh is passionate about the transformative power of art and has found ways to incorporate art into her work in numerous settings and with widely varying populations. Examples include the creation of a series of murals to reinforce the therapeutic milieu at a residential treatment facility for abused and neglected children, using art and writing workshops to build a sense of community and to produce a permanent installation at a community center, the collaborative creation of a mural to foster a sense of cooperation and hope among residents at a single room occupancy residence for formerly homeless men, and encouraging the development of both academic and artistic skills in teens by showcasing their abilities in a magazine project featuring poetry and photography.

Ms. McDonagh's experience with national service programs is extensive. In 1995, Ms. McDonagh worked with the National Direct AmeriCorps program MANY- the Midatlantic Network of Youth and Family Services- to establish a program at a local shelter for homeless and runaway youth. The program recruited, trained, and supervised 18-24 year old youth corps members who helped establish numerous afterschool programs in schools, community centers, and community organizations. During this time, she also completed a six month intensive leadership training course through The National Service Executive Program. Subsequently, she served as the administrator of an AmeriCorps grant, and as the site supervisor for national service members from local programs.

Ms. McDonagh served as the Youth Programs Director and the Executive Director, of the Southeast Youth Academy, an afterschool program in Southeast Baltimore. Under her leadership the program created numerous academic, artistic, athletic and personal development programs for teens, established a variety of program and organizational partnerships including a University Community Partnership with Johns Hopkins University Center for Adolescent Health, was awarded local, national, and highly competitive multi-year funding, and increased Board membership. Ms. McDonagh currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Afterschool Institute, the training and technical assistance arm of Baltimore's Afterschool Strategy.

Ms. McDonagh holds a Bachelors Degree in Social work from the University of Wisconsin, where she graduated with distinction and was awarded a Masters Degree in Social work from University of Maryland in Baltimore. Her concentration was in both clinical social work and community organizing and holds a specialization in social and community development. She is also a licensed graduate social worker in the State of Maryland.