While at Harvard, Karen was the highly effective 7-seat in the Radcliffe varsity boats of 1987 and 1988; she was a warm, funny, whip-smart and fiercely loyal friend to many. Following Harvard and Stanford Business School, she worked at McKinsey, as CEO of a media technology company, and with her husband, Gary Mueller, on numerous start-ups and growth companies. Karen had a vibrant family life with Gary and their five children.
She also held numerous volunteer positions. She maintained her commitment to rowing through service on the board of the Friends of Harvard/Radcliffe Rowing, notably as its inaugural female President, from 2013 through 2016, and serving from 2016 to 2020 as co-chair of the Friends’ Board of Overseers.
"Be true to yourself. Choose what you want to do, and whom you want to be with."
"Stand in different circles.... By working on unrelated projects with unrelated people you develop a wider set of skills, friends and mentors. By the way, remember that your family is a circle, too."
"Keep it real. What I mean is simply: spend time with people."
- Karen Weltchek Mueller