Karen has been a counselor at Chemeketa since 2007 and has worked with community college students since 1994. She has experience counseling students from a variety of backgrounds including students who would like support with anxiety, depression, life transitions, gender or sexual identity, trauma/PTSD, major/career choices or transferring to a university.

Karen was a first-generation student who earned her master's from Portland State University in Clinical Social Work; her bachelor's in Psychology from Western Oregon University and her associate degree from Chemeketa Community College. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). 

She teaches CG225 University Transfer and facilitates a variety of workshops including math anxiety, test anxiety, stress management, mindfulness and destigmatizing mental illness.