Karen Kenney still gets the same quiet thrill driving onto the grounds that she felt the first time she came through in the middle of winter. She was new to Loudon then, looking for a change after more than twenty years in customer service and administration. Curious about the open registrar position, she and her family took a slow drive through the farm to see what the place felt like beyond the website. She has been here three seasons now and still considers it a privilege to be part of it.

Married for more than twenty-five years to a woodworker, Karen has long carried a deep respect for the slow, skilled work that turns raw material into something lasting. That respect shows up in how she approaches her own role. She handles the clerical and hospitality details that keep workshops running smoothly, but her real focus is the welcome. She wants every student, whether it is their first workshop or their tenth, to feel clearly told what a treat they are in for and to leave knowing they are appreciated. Her goal is simple: clear communication, a warm greeting, and the hope that people will make something they are proud of and find a bit of community while they are here.

When she is not at the farm, Karen enjoys day trips to the beach where she can listen to the waves and take in the sun. She is a foodie who loves traveling to new places and trying new things, almost always as a family event. Birthdays in her household are treated like full holidays, complete with dinner, cake, streamers, balloons, and gifts. Gatherings often bring twelve to fourteen people ranging in age from three to eighty.

What often surprises people is that the same talker who greets everyone so easily is terrified of speaking in front of a group. She gets inside her head and becomes anxious. She is also more of a farmer than most expect. At home she keeps five Babydoll sheep, two Nigerian Dwarf goats, about thirty chickens, four ducks, more rabbits than she can easily count, and three dogs.

Karen hopes every person who comes through the doors at Sanborn Mills feels the same sense of welcome and belonging she still feels every morning when she drives in.