Karen Thomas is a native Floridian - was born and raised in the hopping metropolis of Lake City, FL. She is the middle of three girls, who were raised by a single mother who worked two jobs while also going to college to earn her bachelor’s degree AND raising the daughters. Karen's still not sure how she did that! Her mother remains her biggest inspiration.
Karen has been married to her husband, Jon, for 20 years this July. They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend (and she does mean blind – she wasn’t even aware she was being “set up”). Karen was a single mom of a young toddler and came as a package deal. When Karen decided to introduce Jon to her daughter, he showed up with a bouquet of flowers for Karen, and one for the daughter. On hers, he had trimmed the stems down, so it was “kid-sized” and stuck lollipops in it. She decided she was going to marry him on the spot.
They have three kids – Julia (22), Charlie (18), and Sailor (11). The older two kids are in now in college at UNF and FGCU and they are very grateful for in-state tuition, the No. 1 higher education system in the country, and Florida Prepaid College Funds!
They've got a 90-pound Lab, Rider, who thinks he’s a lap dog. In Karen's free time, she loves to put together puzzles, read all sorts of books, and raise house plants. She's a foodie lover – and is very grateful to be married to an awesome amateur chef! Karen also loves to exercise, is currently obsessed with Peloton, but has discovered a new passion for yoga, Pilates, and Barre. The outdoors is her happy place – she am most happy when outside hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, even just porch sitting!
A very long time ago, Karen worked in Government Relations for that other university up the road (FSU) and very much enjoyed the work, but took time off to be home with her children for several years. She found fulfillment through volunteer work and spent her days sharing her time and talents with several nonprofits including Haven Hospice, Boys and Girls Cub, Ronald McDonald House, and Junior League. After relocating to Gainesville, expanding the family, and eventually getting all the kids into school, Karen decided to go back to work. She relaunched her career with the Community Foundation of North Central Florida and used the skills and relationships she had developed during her time volunteering to work professionally with the non-profit community providing resources, training, and helping them build their capacity. While at the Foundation, she launched the first “Amazing Give” (the 24-hour giving day that is still going strong – over $6 million has been raised for our community since its inception). All of that background made it a perfect fit when a position open with Community Relations at UF. And the rest, as they say, is history!
