Karen holds a Master’s degree in Special Education and a Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology (SLP). She worked as a Special Education teacher for 2 years, and an SLP for 9 years in an Atlanta public school system. She and her husband, Steve, have one teenage son, Matthew who is on the autism spectrum. They also have a sweet rescue dog named Bailey.

Prior to starting the ACT program, Karen founded the Autism Foundation of TN in 2007. The organization reorganized to become Autism Education and Therapy Center in 2016. In her spare time, Karen enjoys playing tennis and going to the lake with her family.