kelleherdesign
A graduate from Parsons School of Design, Karen is an experienced visual communications officer, graphic designer and creative director with 38 years of international award winning design solutions for the United Nations, UN agencies, NGOs, corporations and governments. Communication campaigns, publications and exhibits, which can be seen around the world, from electoral, humanitarian, development and peacekeeping missions to international conferences.
Karen has a strong international design background in humanitarian needs/response, development in transitional countries, elections, voter and civic education, ballot production, transition to independence and democracy, human rights, peacekeeping, environment issues, health concerns, youth and gender issues, literacy and indigenous peoples. Her goal is to create memorable, informative communication solutions that clearly convey the intended message to the targeted audience.
She is a self-motivated, multi-tasking professional capable of working independently or as part of a cross-cultural team. Karen is detail oriented with strong planning, organizational and management skills, excelling in communications and problem solving. The 16 years of field experience, working in conflict and post conflict areas has strengthened her ability to work under extreme pressure and with limited resources.
Available to work remotely from Mexico or on missions abroad.
"Ms. Kelleher has extensive experience supporting the work of projects in post conflict setups. Her previous experience on the ground in several complex UN missions provides her an in-depth understanding of the communication needs and support needed. Not only she has excellent graphic designer expertise and artistic skills but she is also a mature professional who is flexible and capable of understanding the importance of cultural differences in numerous contexts. She is able to establish and maintain good professional relations with a wide range of colleagues. This enables Ms. Kelleher to produce high quality deliverables under strict time constraints through home-based contractual arrangements as it has been the case through her engagement with UNDP Solomon Islands."
- Olga María Rábade, Chief Technical Adviser/Project Manager
Strengthening the Electoral Cycle in the Solomon Islands Project II (SECSIP II)
United Nations Development Programme, Honiara, Solomon Islands
"Future employers should feel confident that their design needs will be addressed in a timely manner and with consistent quality. She would be an asset to any employer and I recommend her for any endeavor she chooses to pursue."
– Frank Nyakairu, IPC Global Communications Officer
IPC Global Support Unit, Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations
"Ms. Kelleher Carneiro delivered all projects in time, using the time difference between New York and Portugal to our advantage, by working on changes overnight so they could be ready for review during New York working hours. She was not afraid to ask questions if something was not clear. She exhibited a high degree of flexibility when faced with last-minute modifications during the clearance process and she displayed great commitment to the quality of the publications. I do not hesitate to recommend her as a graphic designer for any project."
– Lilian Barajas, Humanitarian Affairs Officer
Policy Analysis and Innovation Section, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
“Karen greatly contributed to the success of the electoral assistance provided to the Timorese electoral management bodies.”
“Her performance was outstanding due to previous experience, professionalism and commitment in her daily work. Her positive attitude, team spirit and dedication were highly appreciated by the team and national counterparts.”
“Due to her efficient efforts, sustainable progress has been achieved in both institutions in terms of capacity and understanding of the process.”
– Dan Radulescu, Project Manager
United Nations Electoral Support Team, Timor-Leste
“Karen works very well under the pressure of tight schedules and has proved to be committed to the production of high quality materials by or before deadlines. She is and extremely talented, creative person who has strong in depth knowledge of graphics combined with a thorough understanding of the voter education and election programs.”
“In addition to her strong work ethic and excellent design skills, Karen is always willing to assist with tasks outside her terms of reference.”
– Andres del Castillo, Chief Technical Advisor
United Nations Electoral Support Team, Timor-Leste