Karen D. Thompson-Young is a native of Greenville, SC. She is a 1983 graduate of Parker High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Chaminade University, Hawaii and a master’s degree in public administration from Troy University, Dothan AL. During her early years, Karen developed a strong sense of service from her mother who she credits with instilling the importance of advocacy, helping her community and society in any way possible. Karen also credits her success to the countless mentors from her community and her church.
In 1984, Karen’s desire to serve led her to make the decision to enlist in the United States Army. Karen held a variety of assignments of increasing responsibility that began with her assignment as an enlisted Soldier and culminated as a Chief Warrant Officer Three, Detachment Commander and a Deputy Director. Karen is also a 2006 graduate of the FBI National Academy where she trained with over 250 leadership law enforcement professionals. During her career Karen was also nominated for the Julie Y. Cross Award which honors women in law enforcement. She retired from active duty in 2007 and returned to work for Army CID as a civilian, retiring as a civil servant in 2021. Her service encompassed a 37-year career as both a Soldier and Civilian. In 2023, Karen’s many contributions to the military were recognized by the Library of Congress and Veterans History Project where artifacts from her career accomplishments were donated to the library and archived for years to come.
Karen currently resides in Stafford, Virginia and is continuing her aspirations of being an advocate and serving her community. She volunteers in a Secondary Mentoring program that focuses on leadership, self-esteem & Confidence Development: STEM & STEAM; financial literacy and creative artistic development. As a mentor, Karen encourages young girls, ages 13-18, to take advantage of opportunities; improve grades; college readiness and scholarship programs within the Stafford and Prince William County Communities.
Karen’s military service encompassed 25 continuous years as a criminal investigator assigned to the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) where she investigated murders, rapes, sexual and child abuse cases and other felony crimes. The arduous, complex and often traumatizing work involved in these investigations left a lasting impact on her and those she served with.
After her retirement, Karen realized the cumulative effects of being repeatedly exposed to death and other traumatic crime scene details during her military service. She recognizes how exposure to acute, chronic or complex trauma can permeate every facet of your everyday life. For this reason, Karen wholeheartedly supports Combat Boots 2 The Boardroom’s (CB2TB) initiative to assist Veterans suffering from the impacts of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). She is honored to serve as a candidate in their United We Stand Campaign and asks for your support to bring awareness to this silent and often deadly disorder.
