{"id":3270,"date":"2024-08-19T16:58:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T20:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/?post_type=idfive-person&p=3270"},"modified":"2025-02-13T17:32:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T22:32:54","slug":"karen-devault","status":"publish","type":"idfive-person","link":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/","title":{"rendered":"Karen DeVault"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"A\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Karen DeVault<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Spinal Cord Injury Peer Support Lead Liaison<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/use>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Shepherd Center Main Campus<\/address>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Family & Peer Support<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
    \n\t
    \n\t\t

    Journey to the peer support program<\/h2>\n

    My journey began with an unforeseen diving accident in June 1998 that left me with a C6 spinal cord injury. During my recovery process, I realized the immense impact of personal connections and shared experiences on one’s healing journey. After moving to Atlanta, a neighbor who sustained an SCI contacted me for help. So, I reached out to Minna Hong to connect her with Shepherd Center. Shortly after, Minna reached out to me and encouraged me to join the team.<\/p>\n

    Role and tenure<\/h2>\n

    I started working at Shepherd Center in February of 2014 and currently serve as the Lead Peer Liaison for our Spinal Cord Injury intervention. I identify and train new mentors by selecting individuals with the right qualities and providing them with training, creating a vibrant network of mentors. I connect patients one-on-one with our mentors, who offer their wisdom, experience, and support. By fostering these connections, I hope to create a ripple effect of growth and success that extends far beyond our patients.<\/p>\n

    Favorite thing about the program<\/h2>\n

    Being a mentor to patients has been a profoundly rewarding and fulfilling chapter in my life. I have had the privilege of witnessing remarkable transformations in the lives of my mentees. From regaining independence in daily activities to rekindling lost passions, each step forward is a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for resilience and adaptation.<\/p>\n

    Life outside Shepherd Center<\/h2>\n

    I love food! I enjoy cooking and dining out, trying food from other cultures. For me, food is a universal language that cultivates connections and unity. When not feeding my soul, I enjoy tending to my herb garden. I love a good Broadway show or live concert. I love going to the movies early enough to catch the previews. I’m known for randomly belting out tunes released before my existence (even though I’m no songbird). I love the outdoors and being in the water. I have a big fluffy cat named Olaf who demands a lot of attention. When I’m not shooing him away, I enjoy relaxing and catching a good show.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3686,"template":"","role":[18],"specialty":[28],"class_list":["post-3270","idfive-person","type-idfive-person","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","role-peer-support","specialty-spinal-cord-injury"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKaren DeVault | Shepherd Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison for spinal cord injury at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program and learn why she is passionate about being a part of it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Karen DeVault\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison for spinal cord injury at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program and learn why she is passionate about being a part of it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shepherd Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shepherdcenter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-13T22:32:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"289\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"289\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Karen DeVault | Shepherd Center\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2024-08-19T20:58:54+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2025-02-13T22:32:54+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison for spinal cord injury at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program and learn why she is passionate about being a part of it.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg\",\n\t \"width\": 289,\n\t \"height\": 289,\n\t \"caption\": \"Headshot of Karen DeVault\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Karen DeVault\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Shepherd Center\",\n\t \"description\": \"\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Shepherd Center\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/shepherd-vertical-logo.png?ver=1741123227\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/shepherd-vertical-logo.png?ver=1741123227\",\n\t \"width\": 981,\n\t \"height\": 1163,\n\t \"caption\": \"Shepherd Center\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"sameAs\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shepherdcenter\",\n\t \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/shepherd-center\",\n\t \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/ShepherdCenter\"\n\t ],\n\t \"description\": \"Shepherd Center\u2019s mission is to help people with a temporary or permanent disability caused by injury or disease rebuild their lives with hope, independence, and dignity, advocating for their full inclusion in all aspects of community life while promoting safety and injury prevention.\",\n\t \"email\": \"hello@shepherd.org\",\n\t \"telephone\": \"404-352-2020\",\n\t \"legalName\": \"Shepherd Center\",\n\t \"foundingDate\": \"1975-08-18\",\n\t \"numberOfEmployees\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"QuantitativeValue\",\n\t \"minValue\": \"1001\",\n\t \"maxValue\": \"5000\"\n\t },\n\t \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/about\/\",\n\t \"ownershipFundingInfo\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/price-transparency\/\",\n\t \"actionableFeedbackPolicy\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/\",\n\t \"correctionsPolicy\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/terms-conditions\/\",\n\t \"ethicsPolicy\": \"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/code-of-ethics\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Karen DeVault | Shepherd Center","description":"Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison for spinal cord injury at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program and learn why she is passionate about being a part of it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Karen DeVault","og_description":"Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison for spinal cord injury at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program and learn why she is passionate about being a part of it.","og_url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/","og_site_name":"Shepherd Center","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shepherdcenter","article_modified_time":"2025-02-13T22:32:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":289,"height":289,"url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/","url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/","name":"Karen DeVault | Shepherd Center","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-19T20:58:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-13T22:32:54+00:00","description":"Karen DeVault is the Peer Support Lead Liaison for spinal cord injury at Shepherd Center. Discover her inspiring journey to the Peer Support Program and learn why she is passionate about being a part of it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/karen-devault.jpg","width":289,"height":289,"caption":"Headshot of Karen DeVault"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/staff-directory\/karen-devault\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Karen DeVault"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/","name":"Shepherd Center","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#organization","name":"Shepherd Center","url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/shepherd-vertical-logo.png?ver=1741123227","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/shepherd-vertical-logo.png?ver=1741123227","width":981,"height":1163,"caption":"Shepherd Center"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shepherdcenter","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/shepherd-center","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/ShepherdCenter"],"description":"Shepherd Center\u2019s mission is to help people with a temporary or permanent disability caused by injury or disease rebuild their lives with hope, independence, and dignity, advocating for their full inclusion in all aspects of community life while promoting safety and injury prevention.","email":"hello@shepherd.org","telephone":"404-352-2020","legalName":"Shepherd Center","foundingDate":"1975-08-18","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1001","maxValue":"5000"},"publishingPrinciples":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/about\/","ownershipFundingInfo":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/price-transparency\/","actionableFeedbackPolicy":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/","correctionsPolicy":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/terms-conditions\/","ethicsPolicy":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/policies\/code-of-ethics\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/idfive-person\/3270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/idfive-person"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/idfive-person"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"role","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/role?post=3270"},{"taxonomy":"specialty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shepherd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialty?post=3270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}