Profile of Guest Speaker

“Teaching is my love, Service is my passion.”

Born to a Japanese American mother and an American Father, Karen migrated to the Philippines with her husband and three-year-old son in 1979 intending to stay for just one year. However, after settling in Binan, Laguna and becoming involved in the family enterprise of schools and hospitals, she is still here with her three children and six grandchildren.

An educational path focused on the health sciences, she graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Occupational Therapy and minoring in Biology. Awarded a scholarship by the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, she then undertook a post-graduate course as a Change Agent. After arriving in the Philippines, Karen entered the Perpetual Help College of Medicine and earned a degree in Medicine, followed by a Masters in Health Professions Education at the UP Manila and a Doctorate in Education at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. This was followed by a scholarship for Educational Management at Harvard University in their consortium program in Haifa, Israel with thirty other students from around the world.

Before migrating to the Philippines, she worked for the New York University Medical Center as the supervisor of Clinical Education in Occupational Therapy and had the opportunity to participate in a program with the World Rehabilitation Fund, a tie-up which later benefited the Philippines. In the Philippines, while studying, she worked as a research consultant for a private non-profit group, consulted for both UP Manila and UST and for Perpetual Help in varying capacities from faculty, Executive Director of Health Sciences, Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Chancellor and Executive Vice President for International Affairs. Now retired, Karen teaches in the graduate school and works as a consultant for several private schools.

Her career in Rotary began as an Ann of RC San Miguel, when females were not yet admitted in Rotary. She also participated in various projects of RCM for her late father-in-law, Dr. Jose G. Tamayo, including the first 3H Grant awarded by RI. Inducted into RCHM in 2001, she soon served as the club president and eventually became the district governor in 2013. Of the numerous activities and positions in Rotary, she has been a District Trainer twice and presently is the trainer for DGE Joyce. Long involved in the Rotary Leadership Institute as both a faculty member and a faculty trainer, she is presently the Head of Curriculum and Faculty Development for RLI. She is a proud TRF donor and a Level 1 Major Donor and a staunch supporter of PolioPlus.