Karen, originally from Greeley, Colorado, has spent over 40 years learning about the botanical landscapes of Arizona. Aside from co-founding NS/S, she spent her career as a research assistant at Office of Arid Lands Studies at the University of Arizona, as a natural resources specialist with the US Army Corps of Engineers, and fifteen years at Bureau of Land Management.
Karen returned to the board of Native Seeds SEARCH in 2015 after retiring from 20 years of federal service. When she is not traveling, botanizing, or teaching about native plants, she is busy with three grandchildren and six step-grandchildren along with her husband Jim Heard. They have lived in Yuma, Arizona since 1995.