Karen McKeown

Karen Anne McKeown OAM is an Australian politician who is the member for Penrith in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. She was previously mayor of Penrith.

McKeown graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in management with double sub-majors in law and employee relations. She also holds an executive certificate for elected members from University of Technology Sydney and a labour law certificate from the University of Sydney and she is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.

McKeown is vice president of the Australian Local Government Women's Association NSW, a councillor on Hawkesbury River County Council, director of Penrith Performing and Visual Arts, a member of the Penrith CBD Corporation Board and Local Traffic Committee, chair of Council's Resilience and Multicultural Committees, a director of Local Government NSW and Australian Local Government Association, and deputy chair of Active Super.

Politics

McKeown was elected to Penrith City Council in 2004 and was deputy mayor from 2006 to 2007 before serving as mayor from 2015 to 2016. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party and was announced as the party's endorsed candidate for the NSW state seat of Penrith for the 2019 New South Wales state election but was defeated by the incumbent member Stuart Ayres.

McKeown returned to the position of deputy mayor in 2019, until acceding to the position of mayor in 2020. She was succeeded in that position by Tricia Hitchen in 2022. She was announced as the Labor candidate for the state seat of Penrith at the 2023 election and subsequently won the seat over sitting member Stuart Ayres.

McKeown has four children and resides in Leonay with her husband Brendan.