Karen Levi
Karen Levi was an Assistant Public Defender for over 20 years. Karen has worked in all divisions in the misdemeanor and felony courtrooms. Her last 10 years were spent in the juvenile division. In December 2020, Karen joined the State’s Attorney’s Office as the Chief of Juvenile Justice. Shortly after she joined the office, Karen obtained two grants from the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission: one grant to fund Step-Up, a juvenile domestic violence diversion program, and another grant to fund the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council. Karen is passionate about juvenile justice issues.
Karen received her B.A. in Communications from the California State University at Sacramento. She later received her J.D. from Chicago-Kent Law School. Beside being the co-chair for the JJC, Karen is a member of the LCBA, AWALC, IJJC, WBA, JOA, SRO, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice and a board member of CTAD, the Community-The Anti-Drug Coalition. Karen resides in Highwood with her husband and four children.