Kara Newell

Kara Newell, a member of Reedwood Friends Church in Portland, OR, and the retired director of the American Friends Service Committee, has devoted her life and career to nonprofit work and the Quaker peace testimony. She even finds time to talk with her four children, 19 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren about her belief in the peace movement.

Kara is committed to working with FCNL because her education and career have convinced her that working for peace and the preservation of life is an essential mission. She taught college during the Vietnam War, when her classes were filled with draft resistors. Now she is engaged in the discussion on the responsibility to protect. Kara believes that FCNL is effective because it is very clear about its purpose. FCNL is focused on bringing a Quaker perspective to Washington and influencing national legislation, and it does not stray from the goal.

Kara loves being involved with FCNL at Annual Meeting, which she cherishes as an opportunity to meet Friends from all over the country. She has also enjoyed learning about Washington while serving on the Policy Committee. She thinks the opportunity to discuss and think critically about policy is wonderful, especially when she can continue that discussion with her church in Portland.