Karen Whitney

Karen Whitney was born in San Marcos, Texas. Whitney's career experience includes working in higher education administration. She earned a high school diploma from Westbury High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in 1982, a graduate degree from the University of Houston in 1990, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Karen Whitney. I’ve been a lifelong educator in public higher education. I am a former president and chancellor of universities. I currently advise and consult with presidents and chancellors across the country so they can be successful. I love my community and I love our democracy and from that space I am a proud middle of the road Hoosier Democrat running to be your State Rep.

I am running for office because I believe our community deserves practical solutions over partisan extremes. I am running as an educator and not as a career politician.

My first order of business will be to fight corruption in our government at all levels and fully fund our public schools.

I want to join others in, supporting small businesses, and improving infrastructure while promoting fiscal responsibility. By working across party lines, I will bring people together, restore trust in government, and ensure every voice in our district is heard, respected, and represented with integrity.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Fight CorruptionFund Our SchoolsReform Our Taxes

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ethics; Education; Taxes

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a retired college president who has served over 40 years in various university leadership positions. I have served on a variety of boards and community organizations. Today, I am not a politician. I am asking the voters of Indiana House District 28 if they want to hire me to be their representative voice at our state house.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

SMART Government: I want to work to move our legislature to be more balanced and smarter. Smart government is sensible, meaningful, accountable and trustworthy. Smart government has term limits, citizen-led initiatives and easy voting.Great Jobs: Great jobs are secure, empowering you to pay your bills on time, affording emergencies, have health insurance and can retire comfortably. Every Hoosier should have a great job!Quality Healthcare & Education: Prepare, employ and support the best, brightest and most qualified professionals to provide us and our children with the healthcare and education we want and deserve. Support includes competitive wages, inspiring working conditions and reasonable/sensible governmental regulations to ensure a quality of experience.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Policy areas that have my greatest interest are the ones that the state is constitutionally bound to advance which contribute to people’s lives and livelihoods. At present there is an overreach of state government in Indiana and I am committed to moving state government back into its lane to best serve the people.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my grandmother. She was fiercely loyal to family, god and country - all five feet of her. She was a force of nature and inspired me to dedicate my life as an educator and public servant.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

This will sound really sappy but one of my favorite films is ‘Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” with Jimmy Stewart. I love it because it shows a regular guy who loves his community. He becomes an US Senator and takes heroic action to do the right thing against the corrupt self interests of the establishment. Its noble, inspiring and the good guys win.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As a state rep the most important principles that would guide me include: listening well, learning quickly and leading informed by what the voters in my district most want me to achieve on their behalf. I see leading from my heart focussed on my values of integrity and compassion. I would see my role in the community as an elected official as that of a convenor of many indcluding community and civic leaders to collaborate and work together to solve problems and achieve opportunities for the common good.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I work hard, listen well, learn quickly, and value collaboration.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Show up. The first responsibility is to show up with the voters in your district. Meet people where they are and have regular and on-going conversations with a willingness to have voters inform how one does their job of a rep. The second is to work to build trust. Do what you say and say what you do. Not just when you want someone vote. Be flexible in considering the variety of ways the work can be done. Be willing to work across differences with other elected officials to achieve results.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want more citizens in west central Indiana to report that they feel that their state government is on their side as they work to make a great life for themselves and their families.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I really remember the moon landing in 1969. I was 9 and it was incredible.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working in the cafeteria of my middle school as a cashier. I had that job for 2 years. I made $2.00 an hour plus a free lunch.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Sherlock Holmes. Who doesn’t love a good mystery.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A healthy democracy needs 3 separate and independent branches of government. Checks and balances can only occur with separate branches that will check each other in order to ensure our basic principles of democracy are upheld. We have had a super overriding legislative majority for decades. For over 20 years both the executive branch and the legislative branch have been controlled by the same party. Over time, this has resulted in an unhealthy approach to democracy in the state.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that it is important to have experience with listening to stakeholders and leading with compassion and collaboration to achieve what matters most to voters. I have done this kind of work for over 40 years as a leader in public higher education. I have worked on the other side of the table with state legislators to get things done.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes building relationships with every legislator would be my goal. It is childish to not work with every law maker. We have to be at or get to a place that we may have different ways of solving problems and we are all good people. Healthy democracies have a balanced legislature and all sides need each other to do our work. When over time, one side runs the place then relationships are lost and the best work does not occur and it is a loss for everyone.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

My Indiana heroes include: Andy Jacobs a US Rep, Dick Lugar, US Senator and more, Birch Bayh, US Senator and Bill Hudnut US Rep.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

. I am running to be the next Indiana House District 28 Rep and thats my plan.

What committees interest you?

Healthcare; Education; Employment; Legislative Accountability

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am a hyper transparent person. I believe not only the finances but what the money enables should be presented to all voters in a way we can understand and judge. As taxpayers we are investors in our government and we deserve to know not just a budget with a lot of numbers. We deserve a sensible breakdown of the budget and can tell us in a meaningful way what we are getting in term so of services and programs. This information should be available on line and updated quarterly.