Christine Karnes

I have a physics and a civil engineering degree. My early career was at Air Products and Chemicals, working in applied research and development in the metallurgy and wastewater treatment fields. Then I joined marketing in a joint venture with Wheelabrator Frye in a synfuels project, which would have been the first full scale synthetic refined coal plant to produce fuel products, until the Department of Energy was eliminated by the Reagan administration. At that time, I transitioned to commercial industrial real estate marketing and sales.

After retiring, I have been very involved in community, educational and philanthropic pursuits. These include serving as president of the board of my community library, co-chairing the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Department Family Research Council for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, raising over $3 million dollars in one year, serving as vice president of my HOA, chairing the University of Philadelphia Friends of Penn Nursing fundraising group, participating in The Giving Network, providing funding for nonprofit community support organizations in the greater Pitkin County, Colorado area, and serving on the RESPONSE capital campaign cabinet in Aspen, Colorado, raising funds for a new shelter and administration offices for the nonprofit domestic violence support organization. I support many environmental causes in Colorado and internationally.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors, especially skiing, biking & hiking, traveling, and visiting with my two daughters and two (soon to be three) grandchildren.