She was born in Tehran, Iran, adopted at four months of age and raised in Springfield, Missouri and Mesquite, Texas.
Karen Monahan is a staff member at Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota (EJAM), an organization that addresses environmental and health issues affecting African American and urban core communities. A graduate of Wellstone Action Fund's 2006 Organizing Fellows program and of the Urban Teaching Program at Metropolitan State University, Karen brings rich experience in grassroots organizing and continuing education.
Karen has volunteered extensively with electoral campaigns and has a particular passion for public education and children's issues. She volunteers in her children's schools and works as a Special Education assistant in the Hopkins, MN school district. Karen has been married for 15 years; she and her husband have raised two wonderful sons. Karen is inspired to do this work by the words of Ghandi - "Be the change you wish to see in the world".