Over the generations of our country's existence, leaders answered the calls and purposes of their life. In the same way, I believe that I am being called to the purpose of serving the greater community as Governor of this state. I am passionate about making necessary changes in our current state of affairs. President Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.” You see, we don’t inherit our freedom. Our freedom is not free. We must fight for it and we must protect it so we can pass it on to the next generation and they can do the same. More specifically, as President Reagan continued, I do not want “to spend my sunset years telling my children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Karen was raised in a modest home in a small California farming community where she developed her core beliefs as a social and fiscal conservative. Her grandparents immigrated from Japan and Poland. Although her grandparents were prevented from becoming naturalized citizens until their sunset years, they raised their children to be proud Americans. Her father was a member of the 442nd Battalion, the most highly decorated battalion during World War II.

Born in Colorado, her parent s moved to California where Karen attended schools in the Central Valley. To help pay for college school supplies, she worked as a nurses’ aide and lab assistant. She met her husband David at college. While David served in the U.S. Air Force, Karen devoted herself to providing a nurturing home for their four children. Their sons are active duty members of the Air Force and Navy. Their eldest daughter is a Coast Guard veteran and their youngest daughter is a devoted wife and mother of two children. In her spare time, Karen volunteered with the Officers’ Wives Clubs in community outreach to disabled children, hospitals and nursing homes and served as the Marine Mom for the US Embassy Marine Security Guard Unit in Australia. The Testerman Family moved to New Hampshire in 1993 and currently live in Franklin.

Karen is a long time advocate of family values and rights. She joined with a group of grassroots activists who fought the introduction of Goals 2000 in New Hampshire to a standstill. As Executive Director of Cornerstone Policy Research (a New Hampshire family policy organization she founded in 2000), she became a leading voice for the traditional family. She led the fight on numerous family rights issues. Karen is also the ‘go – to’ person for national pro-family group activities in the state. She is a recipient of the Family Research Council “Family Faith and Freedom: award and the Cornerstone Policy Research “William Wilberforce’ award. NH Magazine selected her as one of their ‘Remarkable Women”. Karen was host of a weekly radio show called New Hampshire Policy and People” that covered a variety of topics that affect the family. She is a columnist and author. 

Shortly after arriving in NH in 1993, Karen looked for a family policy council associated with Focus on the Family. Learning that there was not such a group in New Hampshire, she set about understanding how to found and grow an organization that would network with other state policy organizations around the country. Starting a nonprofit as a new resident to the state required familiarizing herself with the laws of the state, getting to know the people, the government and legislative process, becoming knowledgeable about the issues. With great pride, Cornerstone Policy Research officially opened its doors in 2000.

She established the Steward of the Family Award to recognize individuals in NH who made a difference for strengthening and /or defending family values. Later she established the coveted William Wilberforce Award given to persons in publish policy who exemplifies the statesmanship and diligence of abolitionist, William Wilberforce. These awards are presented at eh annual fundraising dinners with prominent national figures like Ken Starr, Star Parker, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, and Oklahoma State Senator Steve Russell, Re. US Army. 

In addition to her family, Karen has the ability to build broad coalitions of diverse groups to accomplish common goals. These have included pro family, pro gun, taxpayer groups, political leaders, military groups and religious leaders.

Karen has been active with several organizations such as Coalition of NH Taxpayers, Faith Based Action Network, The New Hampshire Alliance, NH Firearms Coalition, All Stints Anglican Church, NH Right to Life, and the Abstinence Advisory Committee of Health and Human Services. She was a founding board member of the now National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies and she served as the co-chair to develop the Faith Based Community Initiative in NMH and is a member of the NH Firearms Coalition and life member of Gun Owners of NH. She was also the only NH representative to the First Lady Laura Bush’s Conference on Helping America’s Youth.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and has been certified to teach, and has taught science courses though the college level. She is an accomplished vocalist, enjoys cooking, a variety of needle works, the outdoors, and helping others.