About Karen

Karen considers herself a Naturalized Citizen of New Orleans. And every New Orleanian has a story to tell.

The written word has always been an important component of her creative lifestyle. She blends this creativity with a decades-long dedication to volunteerism focused on improving lives and community. Her company, Alane Design, enjoyed 37 years of continuous business, providing interior design consultation for residential, historic restoration and commercial clients before she decided to retire in August of 2024. Her interior design work won regional awards and appeared in local and national publications. It was a great adventure, but now, the focus is on WRITING!

Volunteering is also an important life focus. It has included overseeing the restoration of more than 200 homes for low-income, elderly homeowners, designing outfits for a Recycled Fashion Show fundraiser and working as Treasurer for two literary organizations. A Rotarian and two-time recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award, she has also been recognized by New Orleans City Business as one of their “Women of the Year.” A member of the prestigious activist group, Women of the Storm, she lobbied members of Congress to assign funds from the BP Oil Spill Settlement towards coastal restoration projects. She dedicated more than 7 years of Saturdays towards the restoration of The National World War II Museum’s PT-305 boat. For that work, she was one of the recipients of the USS Constitution’s Don Turner Award in the summer of 2018. She was inducted into the LaRoche University Distinguished Alumni Circle in 2019.