Libera Founder, Karen Haring, Steps Down After Ten Years of Impacting Lives of Women and Girls in West Virginia

Morgantown, WV, May 2, 2025 -- Libera founder, Karen Haring, retires after 10 years of leading the organization and passes the torch to new Executive Director, Kelsey Riggi.

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After 10 impactful years of bringing hope, support, and resources to countless women and girls across West Virginia, Karen Haring, Founder and Executive Director of Libera, is retiring from the non-profit organization.

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Since starting Libera in 2015, Haring has led the organization to be a key contributor to improving the mental health and futures of girls and women across West Virginia. Thanks to Haring’s leadership and vision, Libera provides programming to 14 different West Virginia counties, reaches hundreds of youth and young women a year from two locations in Morgantown and Charleston, and is preparing to open their first community center and transitional housing facility.

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In the early days of Libera, Haring visited every county in the state at least twice in the blue Libera bus she outfitted to serve as a mobile meeting space, listening to women and girls’ stories in the most rural corners of the state.

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“Founding Libera has been a life-altering journey for me to find greater purpose and freedom in my life. I’m so grateful for that first group of women that worked together to come up with the Libera Model which is now published in the Journal of Appalachian Health, and all of the staff, board, and volunteers that have followed. We’ve impacted thousands of youth and young women around the state, but we’ve only just begun! I’m excited to see an even greater impact in the future through the gifted leadership of new Executive Director Kelsey Riggi,” expressed Haring on her retirement.

In Haring’s absence, the founder has passed the torch of Executive Director to Kelsey Riggi, formerly the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Libera.

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“Libera was started because of one woman’s dream to help girls and women in West Virginia live in freedom,” stated Riggi. “I am honored to carry this dream forward as we work every day to extend the ripples of impact that Karen started 10 years ago. The change she has created in our state and in the lives of women and girls is endless.”

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Riggi joined Libera in 2022 after a 10-year career leading strategic business initiatives in the healthcare sector. Since making the switch to nonprofit, Riggi has used her corporate experience and her passion for creating opportunities for youth in Appalachia to propel Libera’s mission forward.  Over the last two and half years, Riggi has helped Libera secure over $2 million in funding, expand to new locations, and launch new programs, including the creation Libera’s social enterprise, Lila Bear Explores, which has distributed over 7,000 STEAM activity boxes to elementary students across West Virginia while employing at-risk youth.

During Haring’s retirement, she will remain part-time on the Libera staff supporting donor relations and development. The Libera board, staff, volunteers, and community would like to thank her for her tireless dedication and impact as the organization's founder and visionary matriarch.

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Libera, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building brighter futures for youth and young women in West Virginia. Founded in 2015, Libera has traveled across the state listening to girls’ stories, connecting them to resources and helping them find hope. Libera’s programs meet girls where they are and provide access to mentorship, education, and employment opportunities. Learn more by visiting www.liberawv.com.