Karen Middleton (Colorado legislator)
Encyclopedia
Karen Middleton is a legislator in the U.S. state
of Colorado
. After a career as a development officer and project manager in the field of education, Middleton was appointed to the Colorado State Board of Education in 2004 and won election to a two-year term in 2006. A candidate for election to House District 42, which includes central Aurora, Colorado
, Middleton was appointed in February 2008 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Michael Garcia.
in 1988, graduating with a B.A.
in political science
and women's studies
. While in college, she served as president and vice-president of Mount Holyoke's Student Government Association and was elected baccaulaureate speaker. After graduation, she worked for a year as the coordinator of regional activities at Dana Hall School
, an all-girls school in Massachusetts, where she organized alumni events and groups. Afterwards, she joined the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
in Washington DC, as manager of development programs, raising funds for international programs.
in political science in 1996, with a thesis titled An Analysis of State Campaign Finance Reform. While in graduate school, she also worked as director of development for the Montessori School of Denver (from 1992 to 1994), and then as director of operations for alumni and development at the University of Denver
College of Law (from 1994 to 1996), developing and managing capital and giving campaigns.
Middleton joined the staff of the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies in April 1996, first as Director of Admissions and Student Affairs and rising to the post of Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, overseeing graduate student recruitment, enrollment, and management. While working in higher education administration, Middleton co-chaired the Association of Professional Schools for International Affairs Admissions Officers, attended the National Association for Women in Education's Academy of Leadership in Higher Education, and received the Woman Leader of Excellence Award from the Colorado Women’s Leadership Coalition in 1997 and the University of Denver Excellence in Education Award in 1998.
In 1997, Middleton entered the graduate program in higher education policy at the University of Denver. She spent 10 years pursuing a doctoral degree, was ABD (all but dissertation), but ultimately took a second master's and ended her graduate career.
She was also hired as manager of program consulting at eCollege
in 2000, and quickly promoted to director of the Center for Internet Technology in Education. At eCollege, an online learning company specializing in online course development, she managed public affairs, online learning conferences, and consulting operations. In 2000, Middleton graduated from the Colorado Institute for Leadership Training and earned certification from the Institute for Management of Distance Education.
In 2001, Middleton joined the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, a project of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, as a senior project coordinator, where she developed resources for online teaching and learning for use by K-12 schools and higher education institutions. While there, she helped create the North American Council for Online Learning.
From 2003 to 2004, Middleton was vice president for enrollment at Up with People
, managing global recruitment and instigating partnerships with the University of Colorado at Denver, as well as communications and marketing for the WorldSmart Leadership Program.
In 2004, she spent several months in an interim position as policy director for the House Minority Office at the Colorado General Assembly
, where she was involved in setting policy direction for the Democratic caucus.
In addition to her professional activities, Middleton was a board member of Colorado Women's Agenda from 1994 to 2004, serving as its president from 1995 to 1999, and was a member of the DU International Human Rights Institute/Advocacy Center Advisory Board from 1998 to 2003. She has also served on the boards of the Aurora Education Foundation (from 2003 to 2006) and the Adams 14 Education Foundation (from 2004 to 2006), on the State of Colorado's Consumer Insurance Council (from 2001 to 2003) and on the Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Housing and Community Development (in 2003).
While on the state board of education, from 2004 to 2007, Middleton ran a non-profit management firm, Karen Middleton & Associates, working with clients including the Institute of International Education, the Colorado Children’s Campaign and Up with People, focusing on education-related projects. She also taught political science part-time at Community College of Aurora
, and completed a second masters degree, in higher education policy, from the University of Denver, in 2007.
In March 2007, Middleton joined ScholarCentric, an educational publishing company, as Vice President of Development. In June 2007, she was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Development.
Middleton is married; her husband, Larry Beer, is a member of the Aurora, Colorado
city council, and they reside in Aurora's Park East neighborhood. She has two stepdaughters, Molly and Katie. While Middleton served in her first legislative session, she was pregnant with her first child, Zoe Grace Middleton, who was born in August 2008.
, earning 49 percent of the popular vote.
In November 2004, following the resignation of Colorado State Board of Education
member Christine Baca, a Democratic Party vacancy committee appointed Middleton to the board's 7th district seat
She was elected to serve for the final two years of the unexpired term in November 2006, defeating Republican Lee Kunz with 55 percent of the popular vote.
After having criticized Colorado Education Commissioner William Moloney, chastising him as "ineffective," and calling for his resignation, in 2006, Middleton was involved in the selection of his replacement, Fountain, Colorado
School Superintendent Dwight Jones, in 2007. While on the board, she also cast votes against the use of quotas as a means of fostering diversity in charter schools, advocated for the creation of a state online education coordinator, and proposed a motion to allow state funding for "fifth year" high school programs designed to help students earn associate's degree
s.
In 2005, Middleton was appointed to the board of the Alliance for Quality Teaching, the advisory board of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, and the Colorado General Assembly's Interim School Finance Task Force. In 2006, she was named to the State Advisory Committee for Gifted and Talented Education. Middleton also served on the Government Affairs Committee for the National Association for State Boards of Education in 2007.
Increasingly prominent in Democratic Party circles, Middleton received the "Rising Star" Award from the Colorado Democratic Party in 2006 and was named one of The Colorado Statesman's "Movers and Shakers" in 2007.
Middleton stood for a full term in November 2008; she faced opposition from Libertarian Jim Frye and Republican George Carouthers. Middleton's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post and the Aurora Sentinel
. She ultimately won with 68 percent of the popular vote.
After winning a full term in November 2008, Middleton was elected Majority Caucus Chair by state house Democrats.
She has named economic growth, education, and health care as her top legislative priorities for the legislative session.
She has sponsored legislation to increase training standards for Colorado's Witness Protection Program and legislation signed into law to provide $5 million in funding in "Colorado Counselor Corps" funding for additional guidance counselors in struggling public schools.
Middleton has also supported renaming the University of Colorado Denver
Anschutz Medical Campus
to add "in Aurora
," reflecting the campus's physical location. After unsuccessfully lobbying the University of Colorado Board of Regents to change the name, Middleton plans to offer a bill to change the name legislatively during the 2009 session.
In September 2008, following an Aurora murder, Middleton joined with other Aurora legislators in September to call for a state investigation into how the accused perpetrator, suspected of being an illegal immigrant, was allowed to remain in the United States under current law, with an eye toward revising state laws that may have contributed to the situation.
In November 2008, Middleton received the Charter Friends Award from the Colorado League of Charter Schools.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. After a career as a development officer and project manager in the field of education, Middleton was appointed to the Colorado State Board of Education in 2004 and won election to a two-year term in 2006. A candidate for election to House District 42, which includes central Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
, Middleton was appointed in February 2008 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Michael Garcia.
1980s
Middleton earned her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
in 1988, graduating with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
. While in college, she served as president and vice-president of Mount Holyoke's Student Government Association and was elected baccaulaureate speaker. After graduation, she worked for a year as the coordinator of regional activities at Dana Hall School
Dana Hall School
Founded in 1881, Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, is an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 6-12.-History:...
, an all-girls school in Massachusetts, where she organized alumni events and groups. Afterwards, she joined the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs is an organization created by the United States government by way of the National Endowment for Democracy to channel grants for furthering democracy in developing nations. It was founded in 1983, shortly after the U.S. Congress created...
in Washington DC, as manager of development programs, raising funds for international programs.
1990s
In 1992, Middleton enrolled in the graduate program at the University of Colorado at Denver. There, she co-created and co-chaired the political science graduate student association and served on the campus-wide steering committee for the Auraria Women’s Network. Middleton graduated with an M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in political science in 1996, with a thesis titled An Analysis of State Campaign Finance Reform. While in graduate school, she also worked as director of development for the Montessori School of Denver (from 1992 to 1994), and then as director of operations for alumni and development at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
College of Law (from 1994 to 1996), developing and managing capital and giving campaigns.
Middleton joined the staff of the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies in April 1996, first as Director of Admissions and Student Affairs and rising to the post of Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, overseeing graduate student recruitment, enrollment, and management. While working in higher education administration, Middleton co-chaired the Association of Professional Schools for International Affairs Admissions Officers, attended the National Association for Women in Education's Academy of Leadership in Higher Education, and received the Woman Leader of Excellence Award from the Colorado Women’s Leadership Coalition in 1997 and the University of Denver Excellence in Education Award in 1998.
In 1997, Middleton entered the graduate program in higher education policy at the University of Denver. She spent 10 years pursuing a doctoral degree, was ABD (all but dissertation), but ultimately took a second master's and ended her graduate career.
2000s
Middleton worked full time while pursuing her doctorate. While a graduate student, she chaired the University of Denver's Graduate Women's Council from 2000 to 2002 and was a board member of the university's alumni association from 2003 to 2004. While in the School of Education, she received its Publication Award in 2003 and Service Award in 2006.She was also hired as manager of program consulting at eCollege
ECollege
eCollege is an on-demand, or Software as a Service , provider of eLearning software and services to secondary and post-secondary learning institutions. Founded in 1996 as Real Education, the company went public in 2002 as eCollege.com...
in 2000, and quickly promoted to director of the Center for Internet Technology in Education. At eCollege, an online learning company specializing in online course development, she managed public affairs, online learning conferences, and consulting operations. In 2000, Middleton graduated from the Colorado Institute for Leadership Training and earned certification from the Institute for Management of Distance Education.
In 2001, Middleton joined the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, a project of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, as a senior project coordinator, where she developed resources for online teaching and learning for use by K-12 schools and higher education institutions. While there, she helped create the North American Council for Online Learning.
From 2003 to 2004, Middleton was vice president for enrollment at Up with People
Up with People
Up with People is an international education organization founded in 1968 by J. Blanton Belk, building from roots in the similar "Sing-Out" program of 1965. Up With People is best known for their musical performances by international casts consisting of 70–100 students from, on average, 20...
, managing global recruitment and instigating partnerships with the University of Colorado at Denver, as well as communications and marketing for the WorldSmart Leadership Program.
In 2004, she spent several months in an interim position as policy director for the House Minority Office at the Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
, where she was involved in setting policy direction for the Democratic caucus.
In addition to her professional activities, Middleton was a board member of Colorado Women's Agenda from 1994 to 2004, serving as its president from 1995 to 1999, and was a member of the DU International Human Rights Institute/Advocacy Center Advisory Board from 1998 to 2003. She has also served on the boards of the Aurora Education Foundation (from 2003 to 2006) and the Adams 14 Education Foundation (from 2004 to 2006), on the State of Colorado's Consumer Insurance Council (from 2001 to 2003) and on the Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Housing and Community Development (in 2003).
While on the state board of education, from 2004 to 2007, Middleton ran a non-profit management firm, Karen Middleton & Associates, working with clients including the Institute of International Education, the Colorado Children’s Campaign and Up with People, focusing on education-related projects. She also taught political science part-time at Community College of Aurora
Community College of Aurora
The Community College of Aurora is a community college located in Aurora, Colorado. It is part of the Colorado Community College System. CCA serves over 10,000 students annually at its CentreTech Campus in Aurora, Colorado, Lowry Campus at Lowry, Denver, and through online classes...
, and completed a second masters degree, in higher education policy, from the University of Denver, in 2007.
In March 2007, Middleton joined ScholarCentric, an educational publishing company, as Vice President of Development. In June 2007, she was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Development.
Middleton is married; her husband, Larry Beer, is a member of the Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
city council, and they reside in Aurora's Park East neighborhood. She has two stepdaughters, Molly and Katie. While Middleton served in her first legislative session, she was pregnant with her first child, Zoe Grace Middleton, who was born in August 2008.
State Board of Education
Middleton first sought elected office in 2002, campaigning for an elected post on the University of Colorado Board of Regents. She lost the race to represent Colorado's 7th Congressional district to Republican Patricia HayesPatricia Hayes
Patricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
, earning 49 percent of the popular vote.
In November 2004, following the resignation of Colorado State Board of Education
Colorado State Board of Education
The Colorado State Board of Education is a government body in the U.S. state of Colorado tasked with "general supervision of public schools." It is composed of members elected from districts corresponding to Colorado's congressional districts – following the 2000 census, there are seven districts...
member Christine Baca, a Democratic Party vacancy committee appointed Middleton to the board's 7th district seat
She was elected to serve for the final two years of the unexpired term in November 2006, defeating Republican Lee Kunz with 55 percent of the popular vote.
After having criticized Colorado Education Commissioner William Moloney, chastising him as "ineffective," and calling for his resignation, in 2006, Middleton was involved in the selection of his replacement, Fountain, Colorado
Fountain, Colorado
The city of Fountain is a Home Rule Municipality located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Fountain is located just ten miles south of Colorado Springs and just east of Fort Carson. Fountain and the Colorado Springs suburbs Security and Widefield make up the "Fountain Valley" community....
School Superintendent Dwight Jones, in 2007. While on the board, she also cast votes against the use of quotas as a means of fostering diversity in charter schools, advocated for the creation of a state online education coordinator, and proposed a motion to allow state funding for "fifth year" high school programs designed to help students earn associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
s.
In 2005, Middleton was appointed to the board of the Alliance for Quality Teaching, the advisory board of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, and the Colorado General Assembly's Interim School Finance Task Force. In 2006, she was named to the State Advisory Committee for Gifted and Talented Education. Middleton also served on the Government Affairs Committee for the National Association for State Boards of Education in 2007.
Increasingly prominent in Democratic Party circles, Middleton received the "Rising Star" Award from the Colorado Democratic Party in 2006 and was named one of The Colorado Statesman's "Movers and Shakers" in 2007.
2008 appointment and election
In October 2007, Middleton launched her campaign for the Colorado House of Representatives seat being vacated by term-limited Representative Michael Garcia, centering her campaign on her experience in education issues. Following the resignation of Rep. Michael Garcia in February 2008, Middleton announced her intention to seek a Democratic Party vacancy committee's nomination for the open seat, and was quickly viewed as the leading contender for the appointment. On February 10, the vacancy committee voted 24-3 to name Middleton to replace Garcia in the state house. She was sworn in to the legislature on the morning of February 13, after having submitted her resignation from the Colorado State Board of Education, effective that same day.Middleton stood for a full term in November 2008; she faced opposition from Libertarian Jim Frye and Republican George Carouthers. Middleton's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post and the Aurora Sentinel
Aurora Sentinel
The Aurora Sentinel is the brand of newspapers serving the city of Aurora, Colorado. Both a weekly and daily product carry the Sentinel banner, as well as The Buckley Guardian, serving the area's military community.-History:...
. She ultimately won with 68 percent of the popular vote.
After winning a full term in November 2008, Middleton was elected Majority Caucus Chair by state house Democrats.
2008 legislative session
After joining the Colorado General Assembly in the midst of the 2008 legislative session, Middleton was named to seats on the House Education Committee and the House State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee.She has named economic growth, education, and health care as her top legislative priorities for the legislative session.
She has sponsored legislation to increase training standards for Colorado's Witness Protection Program and legislation signed into law to provide $5 million in funding in "Colorado Counselor Corps" funding for additional guidance counselors in struggling public schools.
Middleton has also supported renaming the University of Colorado Denver
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver, shortened as CU Denver, UC Denver, or UCD, is a public university in the United States state of Colorado. It is one of three schools of the University of Colorado system. The university has two campuses — one in downtown Denver at the Auraria Campus, and the other...
Anschutz Medical Campus
Anschutz Medical Campus
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is one of two campuses of the University of Colorado Denver. It is located in Aurora, Colorado...
to add "in Aurora
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
," reflecting the campus's physical location. After unsuccessfully lobbying the University of Colorado Board of Regents to change the name, Middleton plans to offer a bill to change the name legislatively during the 2009 session.
In September 2008, following an Aurora murder, Middleton joined with other Aurora legislators in September to call for a state investigation into how the accused perpetrator, suspected of being an illegal immigrant, was allowed to remain in the United States under current law, with an eye toward revising state laws that may have contributed to the situation.
In November 2008, Middleton received the Charter Friends Award from the Colorado League of Charter Schools.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 legislative session, Middleton was named to seats on the House Education Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee. She planned on sponsoring legislation to create a state investment fund to support services for people with developmental disabilities, a move prompted by the failure of a statewide ballot measure to raise sales taxes to fund the same services; however, Middleton later announced that she would not pursue the measure because of poor state revenue projections.External links
- Karen Middleton for Colorado State House District 42 - campaign site
- Colorado State Board of Education Member Karen Middleton - SBOE profile