Karen McNeill, PhD
Trained as an academic, I have found the most pleasure in applying history to real world situations. Since 2013, that has been in the realm of multi-generational family wealth advising. I help individuals, families, advisors, consultants, and institutions unleash the power of history and storytelling to help forge an inclusive ecosystem, generate a vision for personal and collective thriving, inspire impact, and anchor a dynamic path towards the future. Over the past 20+ years, I have created and consulted on everything from scholarly research and corporate training programs to storytelling activities for family meetings, oral histories, curated archives, books, dance choreography, and an augmented reality treasure vault. My passion areas are women, philanthropy, family, and place, but I know that every story - however uplifting or challenging - has the potential to create connectivity, empower individuals and strengthen their sense of identity, foster family cohesion, mitigate the challenges of generational succession, and illuminate the deep roots of values and culture.
My scholarship focuses on women and gender in the architectural profession as well as how Progressive Era women used the built environment to expand their roles in society as consumers, reformers, educators, and professionals. My work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Autry National Center, the Bancroft Library, and the University of California Humanities Research Institute. I have have also taught history and architectural history at colleges and universities in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been involved in historic preservation, authoring several context statements for major surveys and successfully nominating a range of buildings to the National Register of Historic Places. Beyond this site, you can find my work at the California State Library's Cal@170 project, BWAF's podcast "New Angle: Voice," and the anthology, "Julia Morgan: The Road To San Simeon."
I earned my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. I also hold a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) designation, am a 21/64 Certified Advisor, and have certifications and training in Real Colors® and Engaged Ownership®. I am currently a trustee on the board of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) and Dean of Family History, Culture, and Storytelling for the Purposeful Planning Institute.
In my spare time, I delight in spending time with my husband, wonder at the marvelous humans my two children are becoming, relax on hikes and in the garden, find peace in the sound of crashing waves, and obey my cat and dog.
Address: Oakland, California, United States
My scholarship focuses on women and gender in the architectural profession as well as how Progressive Era women used the built environment to expand their roles in society as consumers, reformers, educators, and professionals. My work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Autry National Center, the Bancroft Library, and the University of California Humanities Research Institute. I have have also taught history and architectural history at colleges and universities in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been involved in historic preservation, authoring several context statements for major surveys and successfully nominating a range of buildings to the National Register of Historic Places. Beyond this site, you can find my work at the California State Library's Cal@170 project, BWAF's podcast "New Angle: Voice," and the anthology, "Julia Morgan: The Road To San Simeon."
I earned my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. I also hold a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) designation, am a 21/64 Certified Advisor, and have certifications and training in Real Colors® and Engaged Ownership®. I am currently a trustee on the board of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) and Dean of Family History, Culture, and Storytelling for the Purposeful Planning Institute.
In my spare time, I delight in spending time with my husband, wonder at the marvelous humans my two children are becoming, relax on hikes and in the garden, find peace in the sound of crashing waves, and obey my cat and dog.
Address: Oakland, California, United States
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Videos by Karen McNeill, PhD
Recorded during the pandemic and all of its virtual glitches, you'll hear my voice and see my slides, but not my face (but I looked fabulous).
Books by Karen McNeill, PhD
Journal Articles by Karen McNeill, PhD
Thought Leadership - Family Wealth Advising by Karen McNeill, PhD
Papers by Karen McNeill, PhD
Dissertation by Karen McNeill, PhD
Be sure to do your own research. This dissertation has mistakes.
Book Reviews by Karen McNeill, PhD
In 1963, Madeleine B. Stern published the first posthumous profile of Louise Blanchard Bethune, widely considered to be America’s first professional woman architect.1 The profile articulated a conundrum that has shaped Bethune’s legacy ever since: a self-described conservative who adapted to the status quo and seemed to disdain “professional agitators” such as suffragists, Bethune was steadfast in her belief that women were as capable as men at potentially anything and should settle for nothing less than equal pay for equal work. Was she a feminist?
See the published version here: https://online.ucpress.edu/jsah/article-abstract/83/3/380/203021/Review-Louise-Blanchard-Bethune-Every-Woman-Her?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Videos by Karen McNeill, PhD
Recorded during the pandemic and all of its virtual glitches, you'll hear my voice and see my slides, but not my face (but I looked fabulous).
Be sure to do your own research. This dissertation has mistakes.
In 1963, Madeleine B. Stern published the first posthumous profile of Louise Blanchard Bethune, widely considered to be America’s first professional woman architect.1 The profile articulated a conundrum that has shaped Bethune’s legacy ever since: a self-described conservative who adapted to the status quo and seemed to disdain “professional agitators” such as suffragists, Bethune was steadfast in her belief that women were as capable as men at potentially anything and should settle for nothing less than equal pay for equal work. Was she a feminist?
See the published version here: https://online.ucpress.edu/jsah/article-abstract/83/3/380/203021/Review-Louise-Blanchard-Bethune-Every-Woman-Her?redirectedFrom=fulltext
determinism. Before the State Supreme Court’s 1916 decision, however, Drexler could not sell the disputed properties. Instead, in 1913, she commissioned master architects James and Merritt Reid to design the Colombo Building and a building for one of the other disputed properties. ’Whether or not the latter building was ever executed or if the third disputed property was developed is unclear; regardless, they gave way to the Embarcadero Center and no longer exist. The Colombo Building is the only surviving artifact in a defining moment of Elise Drexler’s path towards independent womanhood, during this period of over all expansion in women’s rights.