Karen Waldbillig Kasich was born on December 26, 1963, in Upper Arlington, Ohio, United States. A native of the Buckeye State, she has spent much of her life in and around Ohio. As of this writing, she is no longer the First Lady of Ohio, a role she held from 2011 to 2019 during her husband John Kasich’s tenure as governor.
Karen graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Throughout her career, she worked in several industries, including healthcare, marketing, and public relations. Her most prominent role was as Vice President at GSW Worldwide, a healthcare advertising agency. Eventually, she left her professional role to focus on raising her twin daughters.
Karen met John Kasich while working at a public relations firm. The two were introduced through mutual connections at Ohio State University, particularly linked to the university's football community. Despite a 12-year age gap, the couple maintained an eight-year relationship before marrying in 1997. Karen is John Kasich’s second wife; he previously divorced Mary Lee Griffith in 1980.
Karen and John Kasich are parents to twin daughters, Emma and Reese. Choosing to prioritize family, Karen stepped away from her executive role to dedicate more time to raising their children. She maintains a close, supportive relationship with both daughters and has been actively involved in their education and extracurricular activities.
