CoFriends, Llc. was founded by Karen Hardin to provide strategic leadership services to organizations that want to continually improve. As Chief Operating Officer of Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, Karen was responsible for all operational aspects of the Commonwealth’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance.  She was present at the start-up of KEMI in 1995 and says that her most fulfilling accomplishment was participating in KEMI’s growth from the birth of the venture to the success that it is today.  She began her career with KEMI as the director of information management and has also served as senior vice president of business services and executive vice president of operations. Karen was responsible for directing the evaluation, planning, conversion, and implementation all forms of technology needed to innovatively improve the quality of the operation. 

Having developed a passion for leadership, Karen focused on obtaining her Master’s degree in organizational management. Now, her goal is to share the knowledge she obtained through this educational program and her personal experiences to help organizations identify ways they can accelerate progress towards their business goals. Her background in executive management coupled with her experience in information technology and specifically the implementation will make Karen an asset to your leadership team.

Karen is a 1983 graduate of the University of Kentucky, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in computer sciences and completing a Masters degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix in 2005. Karen is a board member of the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Funding Commission and the Brian A. Wilson Spinal Cord Research Foundation.  She has earned her designation as a Certified Workers’ Compensation Professional and helped to co-find Women Leaders in Insurance for Kentucky. 

Certified Worker’s Compensation Professional Employment Law Compliance Program

Additional professional activities

Board Member, Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Funding Commission Board Member, Brian A. Wilson Spinal Cord Research Foundation