Karen Sorensen is an accomplished community leader with experience working with all orders of government and the private sector.
Ms. Sorensen is currently serving her third term as Mayor of Banff. She previously served as a municipal councillor for six years and as a school board trustee for four years. After a successful 17-year career in the hotel industry in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, she founded Catalyst Enterprises Consulting in 2000, providing customer service and sales training in the hospitality industry, and sharing her expertise as a keynote speaker.
At the municipal level, Ms. Sorensen served as Chair of the Town of Banff’s Governance and Finance Committee and on the Banff Lake Louise Tourism Board. She also contributed to the town’s Environmental Master Plan, Community Plan and participated in the creation of the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission. In addition, she supported her community through the Alberta flood of 2013, the wildfires across the province in 2017, and the global COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Sorensen also co-chaired the Bow Valley Human-Wildlife Coexistence Round Table and served on the Regional Transit Commission, Bow Valley Regional Housing, Banff’s Assessment Review Board, Banff’s Development Appeal Board and the Banff Heritage Corporation.
In 2005, Ms. Sorensen was named Alberta Centennial Ambassador. She is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and YWCA Banff 2019 Woman of Distinction Award.
Ms. Sorensen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Guelph.