Karon and her husband Rob have lived in southeast Bend since 2014.   She has a bachelor and masters degree in physics and a law degree from the University of Oregon.  She spent 38 years protecting the public:  13 years as a Deputy District Attorney in Multnomah County and 25 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

She loved her career because she helped keep people safe and assisted the victims of crime. Through her work Karon met hundreds of people who were addicted to controlled substances or alcohol, or suffering from mental illness.  These experiences give her a deep understanding of the problems causing homelessness and a thorough knowledge of the programs which can best help homeless people.

She served on the board of the Guam humane society for 20 years, and supervised the addition of a quarter-million dollars of infrastructure to the animal shelter.  She and her husband, also an attorney, are founders of the High Desert Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, now Think Wild.  They are members and patrons of many environmental and social organizations.

Karon served from 2014 – 2016 on the Bend Planning Commission and since 2016 as the land use chair of the Old Farm District NA.  She has a thorough understanding of Oregon land use law and the Bend Development Code, and has engaged the city on many issues relating to Bend’s development and the welfare of its citizens.