about Karen

Karen was raised on a farm in southwestern Minnesota. She graduated from Edgerton Public High School in Edgerton, Minnesota and completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of St.Teresa in Winona, Minnesota. She has been a South Minneapolis resident since 1967, when she moved to the Phillips neighborhood (where she and her partner Jacquelyn live today). Karen completed a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University's JFK School of Government in 1996.

Karen has worked as public health nurse, as a VISTA nurse-organizer and OB-GYN Nurse Practitioner, and as an adjunct faculty member at the Department of Human Relations of St. Cloud State University, at the University of Minnesota's Women's Studies Department, and at Macalester College's Women's Studies Department. She is an AFSCME member and is active in numerous South Minneapolis neighborhood, housing, health, human-rights, labor, women's, peace, and child-care organizations.

She was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in l980 on platform of economic and social justice, neighborhood priorities. She has been re-elected in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994,1996,1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004.

Karen is the longest-serving openly Lesbian State Legislator in the U.S. She represents the lowest income Legislative District in Minnesota and consistently receives 75-85% of the vote from her constituents. Karen is a frequent speaker on her innovative and "cutting edge" legislation to local, national, and international audiences. She is known among her colleagues for her coalition-building skills and her persistent community-based advocacy on behalf of her inner-city constituents and of low-income and minority Minnesotans throughout the state.

Besides her ongoing work in the Legislature, Karen is actively involved in community service, including:

• Phillips Community Energy Cooperative Advisory Board
• SouthSide Services for the Mentally Retarded Advisory Board
• Women’s Human Rights Program Advisory Committee, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
• Minneapolis American Indian Center Board
• BackYard Organic Apple Orchard Project, Organizer
• Bolder Options Youth Mentorship Advisory Board
• Minneapolis Lead Advisory Network
• Environmental Justice Advocates of MN – Board Member
• Women's Environmental Institute, Executive Director

Karen is also the recipient of numerous economic and social justice awards including:

• Minneapolis Commission on Human Right's first Martin Luther King Award
• Minnesota Nurses Association's first Public Officials Award
• Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action's first annual Progressive Leadership Award
• Jobs Now's Advocacy and Activism Award
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Leadership Award for anti-violence Legislation
• Dare-to-Care Award, Minneapolis Guardian Angels
• Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association's Legislative Appreciation Award & Distinguished Services Awards
• Minnesota Asian Advocacy Coalition's Outstanding Service Award
• WCCO's "Good Neighbor" Award
• Minnesota Foundation for Better Hearing & Speech Public Service Award
• MN Nursing Home Residents' Advisory Council's Appreciation Award for passage of Residents' Bill of Rights
• Minnesota Human Rights Award of the League of Human Rights Commissioners
• Jobs Now Economic Justice Award
• Public Citizen of the Year, from the National Association of Social Workers (MN)
• Minnesota NOW's Long Distance Runner Award
• Minnesota YouthBuild's Legislative Appreciation Award
• American Indian Business Development Corporation's Appreciation Award
• Food First Coalition's Service Award
• Minnesota State Council for the Handicapped Recognition Award
• Minnesota Right to Housing Coalition's Legislative Appreciation Award
• Coalition for the Homeless Legislative Awards
• International Network of Gay & Lesbian Officials' Founding Member Service Award
• "It's Time Minnesota" Human Rights Award
• Policy Alternative Leader (PAL) -- Center for Policy Alternatives
• Bush Fellowship to John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• Central City Partnership Restorative Justice Program Award
• MN ACORN's "Friend of the People Award"
• Juvenile Prostitution Prevention Appreciation Award
• Summit Academy OIC Appreciation Award
• Minnesota YouthBuild Coalition 2001 Appreciation Award
• 2001 Hanson-Henningson Award for AIDS advocacy
• Minnesota Association of Professional Employees Better Government Service Award
• Outfront MN 2002 Legislative Session Honoree
• Stonewall DFL Caucus Advocacy and Leadership Award
• Minnesota Workforce Council Associates, Friend of Workforce Development Award
• Eleanor Roosevelt Fellowship Award – Center for Policy Alternatives
• 2003 Feminist of the Year Award – MN Women’s Political Caucus
• Metropolitan Center for Independent Living’s Community Service Award
• 2003 Friends of Youth Leadership Award – The Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association
• Little Earth Service Award – 30th Anniversary 1973-2003
• Bishop Gumbleton Peace and Justice Award 2004 from the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities
• Fellow, Salzburg Seminar on Strengthening Democracy and Governance: Women and Political Power
• Fellow, Center for Policy Alternatives Foreign Policy Institute for State Legislatures
• 2005 Legislative Children's Champion Award – Children's Defense Fund Minnesota Action Council
• Certificate of Leadership – Latino Youth of MN
• 2005 Paul Wellstone Advocacy Award – The Minnesota Psychiatric Society
• Outstanding Visionary – College of St. Catherine
• Founding Member, Minnesota Mental Health Legislative Caucus – National Alliance on Mental Illness