Karen H. Timmons

Former President and
Chief Executive Officer
Joint Commission
International and Joint
Commission Resources

Karen H. Timmons  is the former CEO and President of Joint Commission International, and currently serves as senior advisor to Boston Consulting Group. Prior to her tenure at JCR and JCI, Timmons was executive vice president for support operations at The Joint Commission. Her work at The Joint Commission included the formative Agenda for Change, the construction of The Joint Commission's Central Office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and the first release of accreditation information to the public.

 

Timmons also served as the primary liaison with the World Health Organization (WHO), which designated The Joint Commission and JCI as the first Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions dedicated to the development of patient safety solutions. She chaired the International Steering Committee of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions, and  led the JCI Regional Advisory Groups in the Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East regions. She currently serves on the Planetree Board of Directors, and is a past board member and treasurer for the International Society of Quality Assurance (ISQua). Timmons has served as chair of the World Health Organization's HIV Quality of Care Working Group on HIV-AIDS and was appointed to serve on the Scientific Council of ANAES, the French National Agency for Accreditation and Evaluation in Health. She is also past chair of ISQua's Agenda for Leadership in Programs for Healthcare Accreditation (ALPHA) Council. Timmons is a former member of the National Advisory Board for the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, and she served on the Parents' Board of Directors for DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Timmons earned a Master of Management degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a Master of Arts degree from Fairfield University. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut.