Karen Anne Spencer, Countess Spencer (formerly Gordon, ''née'' Villeneuve; born June 6, 1972) is a Canadian

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, Startup company, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to ...

with a focus on systems change. Her career began as the founder of Whole Child International, a U.S.-based

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that works to improve the quality of care for vulnerable children. From its founding in 2004 she held the position of CEO, and transitioned to Chair in June 2024. She was the wife of

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, (born 20 May 1964), styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peerage of the United Kingdom, peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Prin ...

, the younger brother of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

Life and career

Karen Anne Villeneuve was born in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada, but her father's career as a National Parks administrator led to frequent relocations, resulting in her family residing in 23 homes and her attending 10 schools during her childhood. Spencer attributes this upbringing as the catalyst for her to establish Whole Child International, which supports children without stable homes. Spencer was inspired to address the emotional needs of society's most vulnerable children in 2004, after participating in a parenting class that introduced her to the attachment-based child-rearing approach of Emmi Pikler. Between 2018 and 2023, Whole Child implemented programs with funding from USAID and other donors. Karen Spencer is co-author of articles published in the peer-reviewed ''Infant Journal of Mental Health'' and ''Perspectives in Infant Mental Health''. In September 2015, the Ashoka Foundation elected her an Ashoka Fellow for her social entrepreneurial work identifying and filling a gap in care for orphans and vulnerable children. In 2017, she received the Pikler/Lóczy USA Founders Award, and ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine named her one of "25 Women Changing the World." In 2018 she was made an honorary fellow at the

University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampto ...

in the United Kingdom. In 2020 she joined the Governing Council of the Center for Global Development and became a governing council member of Catalyst 2030, an organization focused on empowering the broader community of social entrepreneurs.

Marriages and children

Karen Spencer married

Mark Gordon Mark Gordon (born March 14, 1957) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Wyoming since January 7, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as state treasurer; then-governor Matt Mead appointed him to th ...

, a Hollywood producer whose films and TV series include ''

Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...

'', ''

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', and ''Criminal Minds'', on November 8, 1997. The two met when Spencer worked as a receptionist at the Four Seasons hotel in Toronto. The couple divorced in 2003 and together they have two daughters, Emma (b. 1998) and Kate (b. 2001). Spencer subsequently dated billionaire George Soros. Following her divorce from Gordon, the accounting firm Gursey Schneider, which was hired to deal with Spencer's divorce finances, won a court judgment against her for an unpaid bill of $136,000. For several years afterwards, she reportedly failed to pay taxes to the state of California of more than $29,000. On June 25, 2011, Spencer married

Althorp Althorp (popularly pronounced ) is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England of about . By road it is about northwest of the county town of Northampton and about northwest ...

. The Earl Spencer is the brother of the late

, and is an author and broadcaster. As a result of her marriage, Karen Spencer is formally styled The Right Honourable The Countess Spencer, and is addressed as Lady Spencer. The Earl and Countess Spencer have one child together: Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, born July 30, 2012 at Althorp and named in honour of her late aunt,

. In 2016, Karen Spencer assisted her then-husband with restoration projects to rejuvenate the estate's historic gardens — the first major transformation in 350 years. A statement on the Althorp website described the project as "ambitious," highlighting her leadership in the extensive redesign of the Oval Lake, where Diana, Princess of Wales is laid to rest. The redesign included extensive landscaping, and revitalized a significant area of the estate's grounds. In June 2024, it was announced that the Earl and Countess had separated and planned to divorce. It was reported at the same time that the Earl had become the partner to Professor Cat Jarman, with whom he was co-hosting the podcast ''The Rabbit Hole Detectives''. In October of the same year, Jarman sued Karen Spencer for allegedly disclosing her

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

diagnosis to multiple individuals, an allegation which Spencer denies.

References

External links

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Our Team
- website of Whole Child International {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Karen Spencer, Countess 1972 births Living people British countesses Canadian philanthropists People from Edmonton Canadian female models Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian socialites

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding white woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand * House of Karen, a historic ...

Canadian women philanthropists Canadian social entrepreneurs