Karen Pence

Karen Pence was the second lady of the United States from 2017-2021, the wife of Mike Pence, the 48th vice president of the United States and former governor of Indiana.

Pence was born January 1, 1957, in Kansas, and grew up in Indiana. She received both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in elementary education from Butler University. She taught elementary school until becoming first lady of Indiana on January 14, 2013. After taking a watercolor class after the birth of their first child, Pence also began painting portraits of houses and historic buildings, selling them on commission or at local art fairs.

Pence was first lady of Indiana from 2013-2017. During that time, she established the Indiana First Lady's Charitable Foundation, established to encourage and support youth and families of Indiana. She also started a small business named "'That's My Towel!' Charm" that made metal charms for attaching to beach towels.

As second lady, Pence worked to raise awareness about the mental health profession of art therapy, launching the art therapy initiative, Healing with the HeART, in October 2017. She also hosted and participated in events honoring members of the Armed Forces and launched an awareness campaign for military spouses in September 2018.

Sources:

Cosmopolitan. (2017, March 29). Who is Karen Pence? 7 Facts About VP Mike Pence's Wife. Retrieved on Oct. 7, 2020, from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/news/a62233/karen-pence-facts.

The White House. (n.d.). Karen Pence: Second Lady of the United State. (archived) Retrieved on October 7, 2020, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/people/karen-pence.