Karen Barr
Publisher & Editor

Hometown: Born in Roanoke, Va. Moved a lot growing up. I lived in nine different houses before I graduated from high school.

Number of years in the Valley: I've been here most of the last 30 years, except for almost four when I lived on Guam and three when my husband and I were in graduate school in Cleveland.

Spouse: Dan Barr, an attorney at Perkins Coie Brown and Bain. He loves sports and frequently contributes to our Sports Roundtable blog.

Children: Two sons: Andy (25) and David (23). Andy graduated from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif. in May 2007 and moved to Washington, D.C., where he works as a reporter for POLITICO. David graduated in May 2009 from Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. Last fall, he also moved to Washington, D.C., last fall to live with Andy and work as a researcher for the Democratic National Committee.

Pets: An insecure, overweight 10-year-old male cat named Katt and a 2-year-old female cat named Lucy. (Sometimes I call her "Whiner.")

When I'm not at work: I enjoy yoga and practicing my piano. (After giving up lessons as a child, I started back again 10 years ago). If I'm with my husband, we're probably hiking, biking, going to movies or watching some mini-series on DVD. (Our current favorite: "Damages" with Glenn Close.)

Favorite food: Peanut butter.

Favorite thing to do with my family: Be at home at the same time. I don't even have to be engaged in anything they're doing; I just love it when all my "guys" are under one roof with me. I putter while they watch football...or basketball...or soccer...or lacrosse...or rugby...or whatever else is on.

Favorite thing to do by myself: Take a nap.

Most people don't know this about me: My college degree is from the University of Guam. No, my dad wasn't in the military and neither was I. How did I get there? It's a long story.

What I love most about Arizona: The sunshine. Even though I have had two melanomas.

How I came to Raising Arizona Kids: As a journalist (I'd worked at both the Pacific Daily News on Guam and the Arizona Republic) I have always loved writing and editing. The concept of Raising Arizona Kids came together because of my experience with the North Central Parenting Group, where I first realized that moms were hungry for information and local resources that would enhance their desire to be the best parents they could be. I also had an MBA and two young sons. When I told a friend about my idea to publish what I originally expected to be a newsletter for parents, she put me in touch with MaryAnn Ortiz-Lieb, who had just left a radio sales position after the birth of her son, Sean. MaryAnn, Teresa Immerman (a former nurse, amazing writer and NCPG member) and I got together at Houston's one day for lunch. The chemistry was immediate and amazing. We knew that, among us, we had the skills needed to get this thing going. That was in the fall of 1989. We published our first issue in March 1990. My mom came out from Pennsylvania to take care of my family for a week so I could work day and night to produce that first, 16-page issue on a now-antiquated version of Pagemaker software. It was like having a baby. I remember dropping the magazine off at the printer's, going home and collapsing. The next day, I woke up to the frightening realization that, "I have to start all over again on the next one!"

What I love most about my job: The inspiration I get each day from the commitment of this amazing staff. They all care deeply about both the content and the quality of the work we do and they take very seriously our mission to share ideas that nurture and support parents. For 19 years, we've been showing the community that it can work — that it is entirely possible to run a thriving business within a flexible workplace where parents can be parents first. Every person on this staff is incredibly self-accountable and each takes great pride in both the magazine and their role in it. That makes my job easy!