Connections that count

As a member of both the Yale and New Haven communities, Karen McIntosh builds bridges through dedicated community relations and public service.

“My work is deeply rooted in my faith and my belief that we’re all called to serve,” says Karen McIntosh ’93. “I don’t think positive change happens through grand gestures alone, but through small acts, everyday connections, and the patient, often unseen work of building relationships based on trust and mutual respect.”

McIntosh serves as director of community relations and the President’s Public Service Fellowship in Yale’s Office of New Haven Affairs (ONHA). Since 2011, she has been a key leader in building and strengthening relationships between Yale and the New Haven community.

Born in Mississippi and raised in New Haven since the age of two, McIntosh is a proud graduate of Hillhouse High School and Yale University. She lives in New Haven, where she raised her two sons who are now grown and making their mother proud.

YourYale recently had the privilege of talking with McIntosh to learn about her university work and her love of New Haven.

Tell me about your current role. What are your main responsibilities?

As director of community relations, my main role is as a bridge-builder between Yale and New Haven, working to create meaningful connections between the university and the city. My responsibilities are quite varied, which is one of the things I love. I represent Yale at city community meetings, and I attend six monthly neighborhood management team gatherings where I answer residents’ questions, help to address concerns, and highlight the many events and resources open and available to the public. I also coordinate major university initiatives like our annual parking plans and voluntary payments to local municipalities, and I work with Yale Facilities to keep neighbors informed about construction projects.

I plan events that bring our communities together like our annual Seton Elm and Ivy Awards luncheon that honors people and organizations making a difference here in New Haven. We also host monthly breakfast meetings where members of the New Haven and Yale communities connect over interesting topics.

What does directing the President’s Public Service Fellowship program entail?

The President’s Public Service Fellowship program (PPSF) places about 35 Yale students each summer in full-time fellowships at New Haven nonprofits. I coordinate the recruitment of nonprofit partners and students, help to develop the orientation week curriculum, and provide support to the fellows throughout their summer experience.

There are two main pieces to the program. One is to serve local non-profits while the other is to get Yale students off campus and into the community to understand firsthand just how awesome it is to be a resident and a citizen here and what that means.

I like to see how students grow into those roles and assume those responsibilities over the summer. They’re developing communities off campus at their nonprofits that they’re serving. They must live in the city full-time and learn what respectful community engagement is all about. Many remain engaged with their sites after the fellowship is over, and many also connect with each other, creating these organic friendships that continue during their academic careers at Yale.

What have you learned about the New Haven community in your Yale role?

What strikes me most is the depth of commitment people have to our city. I see it in the nonprofit leaders who wear multiple hats to serve their communities. I see it in the residents who show up month after month to community meetings because they care about their neighborhoods. And I see it in the young people who choose to stay here and build their lives.

When I attend community meetings, it’s not just about representing Yale. It’s about being present, being accountable, and demonstrating that Yale genuinely cares about being a good neighbor.

I’ve also been amazed by the incredible creativity and resilience of the organizations we partner with through PPSF. They’re doing remarkable work, addressing everything from food insecurity to youth development and environmental justice. Being connected to that work and helping to support it through fellowships and donations has deepened my understanding of both the challenges New Haven faces and the tremendous assets we have in people dedicated to addressing them.

Why is the partnership between Yale and New Haven so important?

New Haven brings tremendous assets to this partnership. The city’s rich history, diverse neighborhoods, and vibrant nonprofit sector provide Yale students with invaluable learning opportunities they couldn’t get anywhere else. Local organizations and community leaders offer wisdom and expertise that enriches Yale’s educational mission. New Haven residents contribute knowledge, perspectives, and experiences that make the university community more complete. The city’s cultural vitality, from its renowned food scene to its arts organizations, benefits everyone who lives, works, visits, and studies here.

Yale also contributes significantly as the city’s largest employer and one of its largest taxpayers and makes a significant and unrestricted annual voluntary payment. This past year’s voluntary payment was over $23 million. The university provides many free cultural and educational resources, supports local nonprofits through donations, fellowship placements and countless volunteer hours, and partners on community-identified priorities. Yale’s capabilities, thoughtfully directed in collaboration with community leadership, support the work that local organizations are already doing.

But the real strength comes from what we create together. Our students don’t just serve in the community — they learn from community mentors and work alongside local partners on shared goals. Cultural events and educational programs emerge from true collaboration, drawing on both university capabilities and community vision. When we work together on issues like economic development, education, or neighborhood revitalization, both Yale and New Haven benefit from the combined expertise and commitment.

What does New Haven mean to you?

I’m grateful every day that I get to do this work in the city I love, connecting two communities I care about deeply.

Every neighborhood in this city has memory and meaning for me. You can go from one side of the city to the other, see people you know, or meet people who are open to telling you more about their neighborhood, and we have awesome people throughout. It’s got a big city feel, but it’s small enough that you can have a conversation with the mayor one day and go into a local neighborhood the next to talk with a long-time nonprofit leader who lives and works here. You have the ability to easily connect with people in unique ways.

My personal connection makes my work more meaningful, but it also makes it more complex. I understand what it feels like to be a New Haven resident looking at Yale as this powerful institution in their backyard. I also know what it’s like to be part of Yale and see how hard we work to share our time, talent, and energy with the community. Standing in both of those places at once is where I try to do my work. It’s what allows me to build authentic relationships and have honest conversations.

New Haven and Yale helped shape who I am today, and I hope my work helps to ensure that Yale and the city continue to shape and support each other in positive ways for generations to come.