Hon. Karen S. Middleton

Karen Middleton is a recognized leader and speaker with expertise women’s issues, candidates and electing women, reproductive rights, political strategy and Colorado politics.

Middleton serves as the President of Cobalt (formerly NARAL CO), working to advance abortion access and reproductive rights. Cobalt is a statewide member-driven political organization and a key partner in the reproductive rights movement in Colorado.

Previously she was the president of Emerge America, a national political organization that trains Democratic women to run for elected office. In that role she expanded Emerge from 9 to 14 states, including Colorado.

As a former elected official, Karen served in the Colorado State House from 2008 through 2010, where she was in a leadership position as Majority Caucus Chair and a member of the Education and Business Affairs and Labor Committees. From 2004 to 2008, she served on Colorado's elected State Board of Education representing the 7th Congressional District. She has trained, written and been a commentator on women and politics.

In addition to six years as an elected official, Karen's work includes teaching political science, serving as a trainer, and creating the Colorado Legislative Women's Caucus. She worked for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), eCollege, and as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She worked with boards of directors focused on fundraising as a board member for the Colorado Women’s Agenda; and as staff at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the University of Denver, the Montessori School of Denver, and Dana Hall School.

Karen holds a B.A. degree from Mount Holyoke College in Women's Studies and Politics, an MA in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Denver, and an MA in Higher Education Governance from the University of Denver. She lives in Aurora, Colorado, has a daughter, Zoe Grace (10) and two stepdaughters, Molly (24) and Katie (21). Follow her at @KarenMiddleton

Karen is interviewed regularly the Denver media market TV and radio, has been published in Rewire, Huffpost, The Denver Post, The Durango Herald, and interviewed in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Politico, Allure and Slate.