Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

Meet Karen en español

Karen Wilson Thissen, Paul’s wife, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago.  She went to a small Catholic high school where both her mother and grandmother were alumnae, and then headed to Washington, D.C. to attend Georgetown University.

Karen was active in student government, did a lot of volunteer work in the inner city, and worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Her passion for community service led to her spend two years in Latin America, doing both social work and human rights research in Argentina and Peru. Karen’s time in Latin America had a lasting impact. She continues to use her proficiency in Spanish on the campaign trail with Paul, sharing ideas and concerns with the Latino communities of Minnesota.

After returning from Peru, she attended the University of Chicago Law School, where she met Paul.  They married in 1993, and Karen moved to Minnesota to start their life together.   Since then, Karen has spent time involved in both the public and private sector.   She spent the first part of her legal career at the Minneapolis law firm Faegre & Benson, where she became a partner in 2001.  Like Paul (and sometimes with him), Karen has been involved in numerous community organizations including the Minneapolis Public Library, her neighborhood boards, the James Sewell Ballet Board, and their community school.  She joined Ameriprise Financial in 2004 and currently serves as the Assistant General Counsel.   Karen spends her “free” time now being a mom and working on the campaign.  Paul and Karen make every effort to make this campaign a family affair, and having the kids along at many of the events has made the campaign both more meaningful and more fun.

Karen and Paul have three children, Emily, Griffin, and Evan. Emily, the eldest, a 11 year-old, is an avid volleyball and soccer player, and likes to read. And like her mother, she speaks Spanish. Griffin, an 8 year-old, loves playing basketball and soccer. Evan, age 7, the comedian of the family, is a climber and soccer player and is becoming known for his “knock-knock” jokes on the campaign trail. The boys attend Burroughs Community School in Minneapolis.