Karen Chapman

Karen Chapman grew up on a small farm in central Ohio. As a child she learned farm chores with her grandfather and discovered a love for nature in the woods and wetlands on the farm. She graduated from Miami University of Ohio in 1986 with a B.S. in Communication and minor in Spanish. She worked as a program manager for several radio stations in and around Cincinnati, then left Ohio to serve two years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer for the rural youth agriculture program in Ecuador, South America. Returning stateside, she began her conservation career on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Over the past 30 years, Karen served in a variety of leadership positions with non-profit environmental organizations including the National Audubon Society, Texas Center for Policy Studies, and Environmental Defense Fund. Her work focused on ecosystems along the Texas-Mexico border as well as the Great Lakes, and encompassed environmental education, endangered species habitat restoration, habitat management, border environmental and water policy research and outreach, and managing on- farm research projects aimed at reducing climate impacts from agriculture. She has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including as a member of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board and as Chair of the National Advisory Committee to the EPA under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.