Karen A. mcneill, Phd, cap®
Director of Human Capital

Karen is the Director of Human Capital for Johnson Financial Group. As part of the Human Capital team, Karen develops programming and individualized support to help client families create their unique path to thriving.

An award-winning historian with expertise around women, wealth, and philanthropy, Karen has been incorporating the power of story into many aspects of work with multi-generational families of significant wealth for over a decade. She uses history as a lens to explore identity, values, culture, and goals with families as they build skills to make decisions now and plan for the future together. Karen is passionate in her belief that everybody’s story and everybody’s voice matters.

Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) designation from the American College of Financial Services, is a 21/64 Certified Advisor, and holds certifications and training in communications assessments, temperament styles, and family governance.

She is a member of the Ultra High Net Worth Institute (UHNWI) and the Purposeful Planning Institute (PPI). Karen also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) and has extensive public speaking, publishing, and podcasting experience.

Prior to joining JFG, Karen worked at Ascent Private Capital Management of U.S. Bank, where she created the family history service offering as part of a groundbreaking, holistic approach to family wealth management. Previously, she was a historic preservation consultant and taught at colleges and universities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In her spare time, Karen enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, hiking in the hills and long walks on the beach with her husband, two kids, and beloved dog. The cat stays home. She is also working on a biography of Julia Morgan, the architect of Hearst Castle.