Native to Connecticut and raised in El Paso, Texas, Karen earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Early in her career Karen served as a policy director for an Austin City Councilmember, which helped instill a faith in democracy and good government. She served as director of the Austin Anti-Defamation League and oversaw the launch of the Austin Hate Crimes Taskforce and the expansion of the school-based anti-bullying campaign. Following the advice of one of her role models, Bryan Stevenson, Karen got proximate to people’s pain and struggle as a criminal defense attorney. She continues to provide legal counsel to folks seeking to petition for a pardon or clemency. Karen founded Citizen Discourse out of a deep concern for the state of our polarized society and she believes that this work can change hearts, minds and systems.