Karen Carter Peterson

Policy and Legal Associate

Karen Carter Peterson serves as Policy and Development Support at Operation Restoration. She complements OR’s overall mission by offering advice and strategy based on her personal and professional experiences.

Before joining Operation Restoration, Karen served in the Louisiana legislature for 23 years where she worked to improve education, expand Medicaid, promote equal pay for women, raise the minimum wage, institute paid family leave and ensure equal voting rights. She chaired the House Insurance, Senate Local and Municipal, Senate House and Governmental Affairs committees, Select Committee on Hurricane Recovery and Select Committee on Women and Children. She also practiced law for nearly 30 years and served as Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party and Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Protection of the Democratic National Committee. More recently, Karen has become a Louisiana Recognized Peer Support Specialist, offering insight to others as a result of her lived experiences.

Karen was born and raised in New Orleans and is a proud graduate of Howard University, as well as Tulane Law School. With service as her calling, Karen is excited to work among Operation Restoration’s team of dedicated servant warriors who impact the lives of so many in our community by offering supportive resources in real time. With value alignment and a mission driven culture, Operation Restoration is the perfect place for Karen to further implement the change she wants to see in the world.