Karen was a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and incredible friend. She was an accomplished athlete and loved cycling, tennis, running and pretty much anything competitive. She rode close to 30,000 miles on her bike and had recently run the Savannah half-marathon. She absolutely adored her niece and nephew.
Karen grew up in Syracuse, NY and received her bachelor's degree in Economics from Syracuse University in 1994. She went on to complete master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Georgia. Karen loved everything UGA and was extremely happy living in Athens, GA.
Karen was a Senior Public Service Associate at the University of Georgia and was Director of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH). As Director of GICH, Karen helped improve the quality of life and housing conditions for residents across the state of Georgia. The impact of her work will be felt for years to come. Karen also taught housing and community development courses at University of Georgia in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Karen was incredibly dedicated and passionate about her work, which did not go unnoticed. In 2017, she won the Housing Impact Award, Housing Education and Research Association and in 2016 the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences awarded Karen the Dr. Chris Todd Outstanding Outreach Award for her work with the GICH program. Under her leadership, the GICH program was the UGA nominee twice for the Outreach Scholarship W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award (in 2011 and 2016).
On April 3rd, 2018 Karen was out for an early evening bike ride and was struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck. Her unnecessary death has devastated her family, friends and other loved ones and has been felt across the state of Georgia. Future University of Georgia students will not have the benefit of learning first-hand from Karen’s experience and knowledge. There are countless numbers of people that will forever feel her absence, yet will always appreciate and treasure her impact on their lives.
