Blog

Dear Friends of Hanna Perkins,

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development, I announce the retirement of our Chief Executive Officer, Karen Baer, MS, MHA, which will be effective June 30, 2025. Karen served as CEO at the Hanna Perkins Center for 13 years.

Beginning her tenure at Hanna Perkins in June 2012, she successfully moved the organization forward in governance, organization structure and operations, program development and community partnerships. Just a few of her many accomplishments include:

• Oversaw the development and implementation of two organization-wide strategic plans.
• Created the organization’s first Emergency Operations Plan.
• Implemented technology across all areas of the organization to increase effectiveness, support performance, increase data to evaluate impact and growth, and protect confidential information.
• Maximized building use by recruiting local therapists to lease office space and created opportunities for individuals and organizations to rent space for private events and trainings.
• With dedicated efforts of staff and board members, launched the Hanna Perkins podcast – The Hidden Language of Children.
• Reinstated clinic services in 2015, hiring Dr. Kimberly Bell as Clinical Director and appointee for the Hadden Chair at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
• Secured status for Ohio Autism Scholarships and Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarships, acquired Ohio Healthy Meals certification, achieved status as a Universal Pre-Kindergarten provider and earned a gold rating through Ohio Step Up to Quality.
• Expanded community engagement programming, establishing Hanna Perkins as a certified CEU provider for counselors, social workers, early learning teachers and psychologists.
• Facilitated discussion between the Hanna Perkins Psychoanalytic Program faculty and The Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center faculty to create a joint training program, the Cleveland Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Program (CCAPT).
• Formed partnerships with Case Western Reserve University, John Carrol University, Starting Point, Shaker Heights Schools, and many other education, healthcare and psychoanalytic organizations.

During Karen’s 13-year tenure $9.3 million dollars was raised which included the largest one-time gift ever received by the organization.

The Hanna Perkins Center has been strengthened by Karen’s strong leadership and her commitment to the Hanna Perkins mission and the Hanna Perkins Way. Our board is truly excited for her as she enters a new chapter in life, and will be celebrating her service during the months to come including honoring her at the 2025 Hanna Perkins Harvest Homecoming benefit as one of two recipients for the The Elaine G. and Dr. John A. Hadden Award.

Be assured that our Board of Directors will search diligently to find the best qualified candidate to succeed Karen as our next CEO and has engaged Ratliff & Taylor to guide us in this critical endeavor. We appreciate the encouragement, support and trust of the Hanna Perkins community as we begin the search for a new leader.

Please join the board in thanking Karen for her dedicated leadership and do take the time to congratulate Karen on her substantial accomplishments and upcoming retirement. She has made many friends among our individual donors, partner organizations, foundations, current and past staff and board members, and alumni during her time of service. We know she will appreciate the opportunity to have each of you celebrate this new phase ahead with her.

Mary C. Reed
Board President