I have known Karen Rouen since becoming FBA Books Editor, an honorary role at the Freshwater Biological Association to which I was appointed in 2009. Karen was my principal point of contact in that role. I joined the FBA Council in 2011 and interacted with Karen more broadly across the range of FBA activities.
I have been involved in scientific book publishing throughout my working career, principally with Cambridge University Press. In this capacity I have worked with editors, designers, production and marketing professionals. Of necessity Karen had to bring together all the qualities of those specialists in her work with FBA publications, a task which she carried out to the highest standard. Her attention to detail, intelligence and commitment were outstanding and more than bore comparison with colleagues in the wider publishing industry. Yet in my role as Trustee for the FBA I saw that publications were but one string to her bow, and that she was able to apply the same skill and dedication to other areas. The FBA is in the process of launching new Articles of Association which have been heavily underpinned by Karen’s meticulous work, and her brief period as Acting Officer in Charge at Windermere helped boost morale and stabilise the organisation during a tricky period when Council needed to review the whole range of FBA activities.
Karen’s wide range of expertise, meticulous attention to detail and clear thinking will be considerable assets in providing advice and support to charitable bodies, membership organisations and learned societies. I recommend most strongly.
Dr Alan Crowden
Council Member and Trustee, Freshwater Biological Association
Editor of the Bulletin of the British Ecological Society
Formerly Director of Science Publishing, Cambridge University Press