JEFFERSON CITY, Mo, – The energetic and multi-faceted Karen Roach has worked in the office of Rep. Dave Schatz for the entirety of his tenure in the House. The end of his second term could lead him to the Senate side of the Capitol, but that would not be the first time Roach has transitioned with Schatz.
In another life, Roach may have been a forensic psychologist for the FBI. With that dream in mind, she joined the Army, but a knee injury altered her plan and she explored the world of accounting. Her accounting skills are how she met Schatz and she worked for his business. When he was elected, he encouraged her to join him in the Capitol building.
“I like people – I’m a people person,” Roach said about what she likes most in the Capitol.
Roach and her husband, Jason, have two children, aged 4 and 7, who live an active and fun life. As a family, they enjoy dirt bikes and feeding day for their two pet boa constrictors. Roach laughed that they live a “redneck fun life.”
“I had always wanted snakes, but my mother would never let me have any. When I met my husband and he said, ‘I have six snakes,’ I said, ‘That’s perfect!’”
Her husband and son, Conner, have taken dirt bikes to the competition level. Friends shared amazement at the trails that they have at their home. The thought of what her children will be doing in 20 years unnerves her in an amused manner. Roach says her son currently hopes to do motocross in Las Vegas as an adult.
“I told him, ‘good luck on that one,’ because motocross is one of the more dangerous ways to ride dirt bikes. Kennedi thinks she is going to be a Monster energy girl, or a princess – whatever.”
Roach enjoys many hobbies, such as reading and watching crime shows. Her husband’s travels have added a Chinese-language Harry Potter book set to her library.
“I’m a 12-year-old at heart. I can’t help myself,” she said.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
