About Karen
Why She's Running
I’m running for re-election in the 146th AD because I believe the residents of Amherst and Williamsville deserve a state representative who is a tireless advocate for their District. I am constantly working to bring state dollars to projects that will improve our quality of life and advocate for policies that will keep our communities healthy, prosperous, and fair.
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
Her Story
I WAS BORN IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK…
and am a product of the city’s immigrant, working-class traditions. I was raised in Amherst in a modest, middle-class household, the eldest of five children. My father was a guidance counselor at a public high school and my mother was a homemaker. I attended Catholic elementary school at a time when the nuns were trading in their habits and veils for street clothes and becoming advocates for social justice. I went to a public high school when Title IX was beginning to provide girls with expanded athletic opportunities. I studied the intersections of feminism and environmentalism as an undergraduate at SUNY/Buffalo. I was taught that all people are equal, that it is our responsibility to care for the most vulnerable among us, and that my life choices were not limited by my gender. I decided to go to law school so that I could put these values into practice.
As an attorney, I served nearly 30 years as a law clerk to judges of the New York State Appellate Division and the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. In 2016, I left federal service and entered private practice with my husband in the representation of parents of kids with disabilities in special education matters. Jeff and I have lived in the Village of Williamsville for the last 27 years and raised our three daughters here.
In 2018, I ran for State Assembly in the 146th District because I wanted to be an advocate for our community and bring state support to projects that will make our area an even better place to live, work, raise a family, and conduct business. I also believe that state government provides New Yorkers with rights and protections that are increasingly threatened at the federal level. As your Assemblymember, I have advocated for access to affordable education and health care, supported many initiatives that will protect our environment and combat the effects of climate change, and have fought to safeguard the interests of women, minorities, and under-represented people. It is a great honor to be your voice in Albany.