A registered nurse for over 50 years has bachelor’s degree in nursing from Niagara University and masters degree in child-adolescent psychiatric-mental health nursing from NYU. Karen has been active in Nurses House serving on its Board and committees for 40+ years.

As a pediatric mental-health clinical nurse specialist, Karen cared for children and their families coping with stress of acute, chronic and terminal illnesses. She taught psychiatric-mental health nursing, professional nursing practice issues, and the politics of health care at various NYS nursing programs as a guest lecturer or adjunct faculty.

Karen is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and a board member including vice-president of American Nurses Association (ANA), serving on cabinets and committees including chair of the Committee on Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice. She was the first executive director of ANA-New York and was inducted into its Hall of Fame.

Karen supports the importance of nurses as environmental health activists and the advancement of an educational requirement of a baccalaureate degree in nursing for professional nurses.