Karen grew up in Tucson and attended Salpointe High School and the University of Arizona. In 1978, Karen graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She worked as a Registered Nurse for thirty-eight years specializing in adult critical care. Karen graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1985. She specialized in civil litigation and became an Administrative Law Judge with the Industrial Commission of Arizona. Karen retired after twenty-five years on the bench and in 2016 she joined Art Gage Law. These days, Karen enjoys representing claimants seeking Arizona Workers' Compensation Benefits, Social Security Disability Benefits and/or Veterans Benefits.

Karen is a member of the Arizona Association of Lawyers for Injured Workers, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives, the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, and the St. Thomas More Society of Southern Arizona. In her free time, Karen enjoys spending time with her family travelling, gardening, hiking, camping, and biking.