Principal Deputy Special Councilwoman and Autism Advocate Awarded Seton Hill Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award
Seton Hill University recognized 10 outstanding alumni for their individual achievements, contributions to their industry or profession, service to their community and loyalty to the University at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony on June 6. The award ceremony was a key event of Alumni Weekend celebrations.
Karen Ponton Gorman, class of 1986, is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award.
Gorman entered Seton Hill with thoughts of becoming a teacher and left on a path to law school. Her legal career includes private and public sector work.
Gorman is the Principal Deputy Special Counsel at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in Washington, D.C., providing senior leadership of an independent agency protecting federal employees. In 2023, she was designated by President Biden to serve as Acting Special Counsel. She previously served as Deputy Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
Her son’s autism diagnosis led her to community advocacy. Gorman partnered with Children’s National Hospital to form a summer camp for autistic children, Brainy Camp’s Camp Connect, and helped shape a jobs preparation program for students receiving special education services in her local public school system. Gorman also served on a parent advisory committee at Children’s where she provided early feedback to researchers on a national curriculum for executive function support for autistic students. She currently serves as a member of the Research Review Committee at the Ivymount School in Rockville, Maryland, where her son attended, and was appointed last year to a three-year term as a Commissioner on the Commission on Aging in her county.
Karen Ponton Gorman, class of 1986, is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award.
Gorman entered Seton Hill with thoughts of becoming a teacher and left on a path to law school. Her legal career includes private and public sector work.
Gorman is the Principal Deputy Special Counsel at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in Washington, D.C., providing senior leadership of an independent agency protecting federal employees. In 2023, she was designated by President Biden to serve as Acting Special Counsel. She previously served as Deputy Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
Her son’s autism diagnosis led her to community advocacy. Gorman partnered with Children’s National Hospital to form a summer camp for autistic children, Brainy Camp’s Camp Connect, and helped shape a jobs preparation program for students receiving special education services in her local public school system. Gorman also served on a parent advisory committee at Children’s where she provided early feedback to researchers on a national curriculum for executive function support for autistic students. She currently serves as a member of the Research Review Committee at the Ivymount School in Rockville, Maryland, where her son attended, and was appointed last year to a three-year term as a Commissioner on the Commission on Aging in her county.