About Us

Karen J. Morrison

About Us

Karen J. Morrison

Meet Karen J. Morrison

President, External Affairs and Senior Vice President, OhioHealth

Karen Morrison serves as a senior corporate officer in her roles as president of the OhioHealth Foundation and senior vice president of OhioHealth Corporation. She has been with OhioHealth for over thirty years serving as a health care executive and lobbyist currently leading the enterprise strategy for external relations including community relations, corporate reinvestment, health equity and government affairs. She manages the local, state and federal advocacy strategy for the enterprise and is an experienced leader in health care public policy. In her role as the Foundation president, Ms. Morrison provides executive fundraising leadership to advance the philanthropic mission of the enterprise and she oversees all aspects of the Foundation’s strategic operations.

OhioHealth is the parent company for nineteen hospitals, 200 ambulatory sites and rehabilitation services. The enterprise serves a fifty-county region and represents 35,000 employees. The corporation generates $6 billion in revenue and is consistently ranked as one of the top ten health systems in the country.

Ms. Morrison completed her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University, where she is a past member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors; her graduate professional degree in Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health; and her law degree from Capital University, where she served two terms on its Board of Trustees.

She is a director of Greif, Inc. and Park National Corporation. She also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.

Ms. Morrison is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and The Links, Incorporated, serving on its national executive council for three administrations. She is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Women Corporate Directors and she was in the inaugural cohort of Deloitte’s Board Ready Women. Ms. Morrison was recognized as one of the “12 Women You Should Know” by Women for Economic and Leadership Development. Ms. Morrison was honored as a 2016 YWCA eWoman of Achievement. Becker’s Hospital Review recognized Ms. Morrison as one of the “African American Leaders in Healthcare, 2019”. In May 2023, she was recognized as an inaugural recipient of the Columbus Business First, Women of Influence Award as the “Businesswoman of the Year”. In November 2023, Ms. Morrison was recognized as a “Director to Watch” by Directors & Boards.