Karen Byrd, President

Karen Byrd is a Boone County school board member

Please share why you decided to run for your local school board.
I was helping friends at church look for someone to run for an upcoming open seat because I was involved with my oldest then in elementary school. Ironically, I found I lived in the district that was open and was convinced to run. I won and have never regretted choosing to serve 27 years later. I wanted to make a difference in students’ lives by giving them the advantages that only a quality education can provide. And that's an ongoing challenge.  

What is your favorite thing about serving on your local board?    
Seeing all the exciting things going on across the district. The innovation. The dedicated staff. The involved parents. And graduations. Love going and seeing the accomplishments of the seniors. See the excitement in their eyes. Feel the hope and promise of young people venturing on to conquer the world.  

What activities do you enjoy doing outside your board work?     
My favorite time is spent with my two grandchildren ages 2 and 3. Watching their minds work as they learn and figure out things is joy. I love to read. Love the beach. Love to go to concerts.  

Name someone in your life you admire, or who inspired or helped you along the way.    
The two most influential people aside from parents, were my Aunt Mary Petty and my grandmother Eliza Mae Drinnen Petty. Both were strong women of faith who accomplished things in their lifetime that a lot of women couldn't - for my grandmother in the early 1940's with the sudden death of my grandfather and my aunt in the 1960's when she ran the city Builder’s Exchange when women didn’t hold those types of positions. Both taught me to dream big and there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish with hard work and belief in myself.  

Name a book/magazine/website/publication/etc. that you would recommend to other school board members.
"The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team."