Her Story
About Karen
I've been a doer my whole life, starting in television at 18 and working my way up through public broadcasting and NBC affiliate work in Northern Wisconsin. When I was around 35, I got into insurance with my property, casualty, life, and health licenses, eventually becoming Vice President running 6 locations for an independent insurance agency. My husband and I also ran Superior Insurance Management together, where I was a broker agent for life and health policies across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. We sold that business when I was 60, and after three years of being bored out of my mind, I joined SER National to help people 55 and older who were displaced or never got their GED. I'd meet clients at the library in Superior and help them get into nonprofits like the Salvation Army, get their GED, update their resumes, and find safe housing. One woman came in polished and professional but had lost everything when her partner took it all and she was fired for being too expensive on health insurance. We got her working at the Salvation Army and eventually into a $65,000 job on Tower Avenue. A man who was a brilliant guitar player but never graduated high school got his GED and started playing at nursing homes. I've always believed in mentoring, whether it was running youth apprenticeships at our insurance agency where kids graduated with two years of work experience and leadership roles, or helping displaced workers get back on their feet. Now I'm converting my property, the old Dairy Dream, into accessible spaces specifically for disabled veterans, especially females, because there are so few hotels up here that can accommodate people who've lost both legs. My father-in-law was a WWII amputee, my husband Ed might end up being a double amputee, and I worked with the City of Madison Disabilities Commission, so I know how hard it is to find truly accessible spaces. I'm being very selective about where I give my time now because I want to have real impact rather than spreading myself too thin.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I come from a long line of doers. My grandmother, my mother, my father - they all taught me that you just get out there and give back. My mother passed the marital property law in Wisconsin when Ronald Reagan was in office, and when she was in the assembly, I got to sit and wait for her and learned a lot about how our government works. That probably made me who I am - someone who believes you take from what the Lord has given you on this earth, and then you give back. We were raised Baptist with the values of don't be greedy, don't be lazy, get out there and dig from the earth what the Lord gives you, and then give back what you can, when you can. I'm a doer with a lot of energy and high metabolism, and I've always had wonderful female mentors who were so great to me when I had work-study jobs, so I felt it was really important to do the same for others. That's probably me in a nutshell - I dig from the earth what the Lord gives me, and then I give back what I can, when I can.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are giving back and not throwing people away. I believe we throw away people when they get to a certain age and treat them like they have no value, but they're fully capable of being employed and contributing. I'm passionate about making sure spaces accommodate every person that wants to come in, whether they're in a wheelchair or have other disabilities - it's just not nice when we don't make the effort. I believe if you're an American and a U.S. citizen, you have a duty and a responsibility to vote and to take care of this country. Don't just not participate - you can run for school board, be on a committee, contribute to making things better. I'm very selective about who I give my time to because I want to have an impact. If I spread myself across different organizations, that's one-twentieth of me, but if I'm in one or two, you get a lot from me. I come to things with solutions, not problems. My family raised me to be a doer - take from what the Lord has given you on this earth, and then give back what you can, when you can.
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