On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, we would like to share some important news with you concerning an upcoming planned leadership transition at Epilepsy Alliance Florida. 

As you know, our President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Basha Egozi has dedicated her career to supporting those impacted by epilepsy by confronting the spectrum of challenges created by seizures, and she has provided us with inspirational leadership and partnership in this effort for the past 21+ years.  

A well-deserved retirement awaits this leader in the Spring of 2027. We cannot thank Karen enough for her contributions and commitment over these many years, and we wish her the very best as she moves toward retirement. 

Over the course of her tenure, Karen has transformed this organization from the inside out, and in so doing, has changed the lives of countless Floridians living with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. Karen’s vision was never confined to a single region. She has been the driving force behind the expansion of Epilepsy Alliance Florida, working to extend our reach into cities across the state so that individuals living with epilepsy can find support and services close to home, wherever in Florida they happen to live.

That same commitment has extended well beyond Florida’s borders. When Hurricane Irma struck Puerto Rico in 2017, Karen moved quickly to ensure that one of our partner offices on the island received critical supplies and medication for the people in its care a reminder that her leadership is defined not only by strategy, but by an unwillingness to leave anyone behind in a crisis.

Perhaps her most enduring contribution is now a matter of public record. Karen was instrumental in the passage of Florida’s Care of Students with Epilepsy or Seizure Disorders law (HB 173), enacted in 2022 and codified at Section 1006.0626, Florida Statutes. The law allows families to submit an individualized seizure action plan to their child’s school, requires school personnel who have regular contact with those students including bus drivers  to be trained in seizure recognition and response, and ensures that prescribed rescue medication can be administered when it is needed. For thousands of Florida families, it means sending a child to school knowing the adults there understand exactly what to do. That protection now belongs to every student in the state, and it exists in no small part because of Karen’s advocacy.

Because of Karen’s advance planning and notification of her desired retirement, she and the Board are working in concert on a succession plan which provides for the hiring and transition of a new CEO.  To ensure an orderly succession, the Board has engaged Kittleman & Associates, a national executive search firm specializing in the recruitment of CEOs for nonprofit organizations, to conduct a search for a new Chief Executive Officer. A new CEO is expected to be appointed in the Spring of 2027. 

All inquiries related to the search should be directed to Cory King, cking@kittlemansearch.com and Suzy Cowen, scowen@kittlemansearch.com.   Please watch for additional information in the coming weeks about the launch of this important search and transition. We are confident our next CEO will continue to strengthen our mission and carry on the work that Karen Egozi has worked so tirelessly to achieve.

Thank you all so much for your partnership, and congratulations to Karen Basha Egozi!

Beth Alcalde

President, Board of Directors