A Wisconsin native, Karen visited family in Albuquerque on yearly basis.  After student teaching in Sydney, Australia she headed to Albuquerque with her UW-Madison degree in hand.  Karen retired from APS in 2018 after a career as a classroom and physical education teacher.  Wanting to try her hand at something new, she decided to try working in the business world and enjoys her position as Director of First Impressions for Albuquerque Community Foundation! She loves the philanthropic environment and her “second to none” co-workers!
 
In her free time, Karen enjoys step class, cardio drum and pickleball.  Traveling experiences top her To Do List.   Karen is the proud mother of two children.  Her daughter is attending Creighton University to become a Certified Nurse Practitioner and her son will graduate from UNM’s Anderson School Of Business with a Marketing degree. Her husband teaches at Sandia Prep.
 
Someday Karen hopes to write a children’s book, but that involves free time…..something which she never seems to find! 

• Red or green?  Green
• Mountain or River? Mountain
• Comedy Club or Dance Club?  Dance Club
• Hometown: West Bend, WI
• High School Mascot: Suns  (West Bend East Suns)
• If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead, who would it be? All four of my grandparents
• If you didn’t work for the Foundation, where would you work? A cardio drum instructor for Drums Alive
• Name three songs you would include on your soundtrack of life: “Beer Barrel Polka” performed by Wisconsin Marching Band (double whammy—my heritage and my alma mater), “Well Done” by The Afters and “One Day Like This” by Elbow
• What’s your favorite time of the year in New Mexico? Fall
• What is a skill you’d like to learn? Woodworking and/or Bread Baking  (I’m waiting for Continuing Ed to offer a Beginning Woodworking course.)
• If you could witness any event of the past, present or future, what would it be? World’s Fair in Chicago 1933/1934