About Us + Contact

KARA was founded in 2001 to support people, programs, and policies that improve the lives of abused and neglected children. KARA operates with a small active board of directors and advisors, plus the generous efforts of hundreds of student interns and community volunteers.

Hear from our Executive Director, Mike Tikkanen:

Hear from our Board Member, Greg Christian:

KARA advocates for at-risk children through its podcasts, social media, presentations, and public discussion to discover better answers for improving the lives of at-risk children. KARA speaks nationally on topics you will find on this website.

Who Will Speak For The Children?

KARA engages policy makers, lawmakers, principals, teachers, social workers, lawyers, judges, police officers, parents, students, health professionals, and the larger community in conversations that will end child abuse & begin healing the millions of children living with trauma caused by abuse.

KARA projects 2025:

AI Driven, Interactive, Child Abuse and Child Protection Information and Solutions Database

Providing a fully funded Technical Support Program for CASAs & other child-friendly nonprofits to help these organizations find volunteers and support for their initiatives and the children they work for.

Checkout KARA’S social media, and current book , and podcasts and join our meaningful conversations bringing constructive change to Child Protection Systems.

Continue offering KARA’s cost-free INVISIBLE CHILDREN Critical Conversations to colleges/universities, large business forums, and community organizations around the country.

Launching the AI driven National Child Abuse and Child Protection Database and Platform for information, answers, and solutions

Join the KARA team with

free Friday morning Updates here.

Got Question or comments?

Contact KARA: Info@Invisiblechildren.org

(mention the topic in Subject Line)

Board

Lawrence King: Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Lawrence exemplifies how the hard childhood of losing your mother and father at a young age does not have to define you. A graduate of Purdue University, he has worked on campaigns with Nike, Jordan Brand, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the National Urban League. He is committed to helping nonprofits serving youth succeed and grow with the help of the digital world.

Lawrence has spent countless hours mentoring underserved youth in his community. Working with KARA is the most gratifying work because of our impact and voice on mental health, financial literacy, and child wellbeing.

Mike Tikkanen: President/Executive Director: Author of the book Invisible Children, volunteer CASA Guardian ad Litem in Hennepin County since 1996, current and founding board member of CASAMN. He is unapologetically and passionately committed to improving the lives of at-risk children.

Jim Early – Trailblazer Coaching: Jim has been an advisor to KARA since it began. He has decades of experience supporting leaders to help them find better answers, solve problems & improve their management skills.

Damon Kocina: Secretary/Treasurer and long-time KARA key resource: Father, coach, and marketing guru dedicated to improving child protection and creating more support for young families.

Greg Christian: Greg has helped build KARA on projects and financially for over ten years. He has also raised funds for CASA volunteers in MN. Greg is committed to KARA’s efforts in interrupting child abuse and healing the children and families that suffer from it.

Al Innamorato: After over 40 years in leadership positions in the corporate and investment world, Al is returning to his academic roots, which started with research at the Human Issues Institute at the University of Pennsylvania while doing graduate work at Villanova University. His executive leadership positions include Cendant Corporation, Ernst & Young, Microsoft, Dendrite, Scholastic, and the Fulcrum Management Group. Al has led global system and process implementations, managed resources in numerous countries, and served on the Oracle Hyperion Sig Board of Directors. He has Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Villanova University.

Past Board Members: David Strand, Joe McCarthy, Lynn McCarthy, Thomas Carter MD, Carol Koepp, Tiffini Flynn Forslund

Advisory Board

Jarred Van Horn: Jarred is a Student Ambassador at Dakota County Technical College and a past Governing Council Alternate at LeadMN (MN State College Student Association). He recently launched and managed a nonprofit organization focused on student mental health (SEEDS OF SUCCESS). He’s a determined individual with a passion & dreams for creating positive change in the world.

Allen Huang: Technical Director: With over a decade in different tech-startups, Allen is passionate about leveraging technology to make meaningful impacts. He was most recently Head of Engineering at Desora, managing an ecosystem to support smart cooking devices. At KARA, Allen is a resource for technical development, data governance, and development communications.

LINK TO KIDS AT RISK ACTION / KARA / INVISIBLE CHILDREN HISTORY

KARA Primary Sponsors

KARA would like to thank the following

individuals and companies for their support.

To support our mission, you can

donate your resources or volunteer your time.

THANK YOU

Highland Bank

Heintz & Clark Accounting

Edina Federated Women’s Foundation

Sunrise Banks

Schwab

Auction Masters

Spire Credit Union

& Many Many Minnesota Rotaries

THANK YOU TO THE RIIPEN ORGANIZATION &

THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES FOR

HELPING KARA IN OUR EFFORTS TO DISCOVER AND

DELIVER THE INFORMATION KARA NEEDS TO KEEP COMMUNITIES INFORMED

ABOUT THE DEPTH AND SCOPE OF CHILD ABUSE AND TRAUMA IN OUR NATION TODAY:

University of MN

Arizona State University

Cambrian College

Capella University

RMIT University

Bay Path University

University of Sterling

Durham University

Cape Breton University

Northeastern University

The American Women’s College at Baypath University

Concordia University St Paul MN

University of North Dakota

Keuka College

#Universityof MN

#ArizonaStateUniversity

#CambrianCollege

#CapellaUniversity

#RMITUniversity

#BayPathUniversity

#UniversityofSterling

#DurhamUniversity

#CapeBretonUniversity

#NortheasternUniversity

#TheAmericanWomen’sCollegeatBaypathUniversity

#ConcordiaUniversityStPaulMN

#UniversityofNorthDakota

#KeukaCollege

Richard Bland College

CAVENDISH (ZAMBIA)

Fanshawe college capstone

HAMLINE

HAMLINE MAYBE

Loyalist College

Mohawk College

National University Appel

U OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

University of North Carolina

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

#CHILDABUSE

#CHILDWELFARE

#KIDSATRISK

#KARA

#MIKETIKKANEN

#CHILDPROTECTION

#VOLUNTEERS

#HIGHLANDBANKS

#SUNRISEBANKS

#CASAGUARDIANADLITEM

#COURTAPPOINTEDSPECIALADVOCATE

Your privacy is important to us. This website collects minimal personal information, such as your name and email address, only when you voluntarily submit it through contact forms or newsletter sign-ups. We use this information solely to respond to your inquiries or provide requested updates.

We do not sell, trade, or share your personal information with third parties, except as required by law. Our website may use cookies to enhance your browsing experience; you can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time.

By using this website, you consent to our privacy policy. We may update this policy occasionally; changes will be posted on this page.

If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please contact us: info@invisiblechildren.org

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