After graduation, Karen began her career as a project and contract engineer for ExxonMobil Chemical in Baton Rouge, where she worked in three operating units, including one continuous distillation unit and two batch-to-continuous esterification units.

In 2004, Karen accepted a process engineering position with Paul Mueller Company, a stainless-steel equipment fabrication company in Springfield, MO. During her time at Paul Mueller, she has designed equipment for use in the pharmaceutical and brewing industries, leading detailed equipment process design on large and small-scale skids at over 350 installations in eight countries. 

Karen has spent much of her tenure as the technical expert for the PyroPure division, specializing in pure steam and water for use in the pharmaceutical industry. She is currently the Lead Engineer for the PyroPure division and is a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri. In 2014, Karen was named the Young Engineer of the Year for the State of Missouri by the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers. Karen spends her free time as a coach’s wife and sports mom.  She and her husband Josh are avid fans of every sport their son Jake plays, currently narrowed down to football, hockey, and baseball. 

Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers, 2025.