Skip to main content

Celebrating Karen McLaughlin's Dedication to Arizona's Well-being!

We are grateful to Karen McLaughlin as she retires after dedicating her career to public service and the well-being of Arizonans. Karen began her career at Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) working on state budget and fiscal issues in July 2005 after having worked for the state of Arizona for 31 years. She worked for several state agencies including the Governor’s Office for Strategic Planning and Budgeting, Department of Health Services, Department of Revenue, and Arizona State University. Prior to retirement from State service, she was the Financial Services Administrator at the Department of Economic Security, overseeing the agency’s budget and fiscal work.

Karen was one of the original staff in the Arizona Center for Economic Progress when it was created in 2016. She helped create what is now Budget 101, an explanation of how Arizona state government is funded, how the funds are spent, and the implications of tax policy on everyday Arizonans. We invite you to share her Budget 101 with concerned citizens in her honor.

We will have a formal send-off for Karen coming up, but on her last official day we give her our great thanks for all that she has contributed to the people and State of Arizona.

Most Sincerely,

January Contreras

CEO and President

More News

2025 Legislative Agenda

In the recent election, Arizonan voters emphasized the economy as their primary concern, with many not feeling the benefits of current economic growth. Despite improvements in poverty and income, rising costs for basic needs…

Looking to Arizona's Next State Budget

On January 13, 2025, a new Arizona legislature will be sworn in and begin forming the 2026 state budget. Today’s budget outlook is significantly different from what legislators faced last January. Then, the state faced…

Arizonans Deserve Better Solutions

In choosing among five issues, the economy was a top concern for 1 in 3 Arizonan voters this election, with a larger 2 in 3 voters feeling the economy is not so good or poor. While both the U.S. and Arizona are experiencing…