Karen was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her Mother died when she was age 4 and her father remarried, so in addition to her 4 natural siblings she got 4 more in the bargain, making for a rather crowded station wagon. After graduating from the University of Iowa as a Theatre Major she moved to Chicago where she has appeared in numerous theaters, including Writers' Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Northlight, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and many others. She is married to Matthew Janes and has a son named Benjamin. Karen and her family reside in Evanston, Illinois.