Karen Floyd is an American attorney and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from the state of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. She is a former prosecutor and low level magistrate judge and later served as the only female Chairperson of County Council for the state's fourth largest county. Karen was elected Chairperson of the

South Carolina Republican Party The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant par ...

and served from 2009 to 2011. As the first woman Chairperson of the state party, under her tenure, the party experienced historic wins by adding a Republican congressional seat and winning all constitutional offices, the first time in the state's history. Additionally, Republicans

Nikki Haley Nimrata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American diplomat and politician who served as the 116th and first female governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, and as the 29th United States ambassador to the United Na ...

and Tim Scott were also both elected as governor and congressman, respectively, while Floyd served as state party chairwoman. Floyd is the founder of multiple businesses and the publisher of Elysian, a women's magazine with international circulation.

Political life

Karen Floyd was the first woman to serve as the chair of the Spartanburg County Council, and currently serves on the South Carolina Ports Authority Board. In 2006 Floyd was the Republican nominee for Superintendent of Education. She was defeated by Jim Rex by only 455 votes, the closest margin of victory in a statewide election in South Carolina's history. She served as chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party from May 2009 to May 2011. She did not seek re-election as Chairman.

Personal life

Karen lives in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

with her husband Gordon and two children.

Employment

*1999 to Present Palladian Group, ''Chief Executive Officer'' In 1999, Floyd founded The Palladian Group, which serves marketing, technology, and development needs of clients worldwide. Floyd oversees six divisions and over 30 employees. *2015 to Present
ELYSIAN Magazine
''Publisher'' In 2015, Floyd founded Palladian Publications and began serving as the publisher of ELYSIAN Magazine.

Education

*1986

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law schoo ...

President, Student Bar Association; Daniel McLeod Scholarship Award *1983 Goucher College; Bachelor of Arts Chairperson, Academic Honor Board; Elizabeth King Elliott Fellowship Award

Affiliations

*Spartanburg County, SC, and American Bar Association, 1986 to present *American Judiciary Society, 1990 to present *Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Board Member 1998 to 2002; Board of Governors 2005 to present *South Carolina Ports Authority, Board Member 2007 to 2012 *Piedmont Area Girl Scouts, Board Member/Nominating Committee to 2008 *Human Resources Management Association, 1994 to 2000 *Arts Partnership, Board Member 1998 to 2006 *Susan B. Komen Upstate Race for the Cure, Founding Board Member 1998, Secretary 1999 to 2001 *Spartanburg Development Council, Board of Directors, 1998 to 2002 *Share the Vision, Board Member 1998 to 2002 Co-Chairman 1999 to 2002 *

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, Executive Board 1999 to 2002 *Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Board of Directors 2000 to 2002 *United Way Campaign, Board Member 2001 to 2003 *Department of Natural Resources, Board Member 2004 to 2006 *Board Representative prior to 1998 *Spartanburg County Higher Education Commission, Member *National Council Chain Restaurants, Board of Trustees *Governor's Leadership Forum *Spartanburg County Little Theater, Board of Trustees *Spartanburg County Children's Shelter *SAFE Homes Network *Department of Mental Health, Board Advisor *Children's Coalition Against Sexual Abuse, Board Member *DSS Treatment Team, Board Member *International Franchise Association, Board Member

Notable achievements

Mrs. Floyd has achieved many awards throughout her career, including: * Order of the Palmetto (South Carolina's highest award)South Carolina State Archives *Business and Professional Women Club, Woman of the Year * Spartanburg Technical College, Woman of the Year/Politics *Career Woman of the Year *Outstanding Young Woman of the Year *Toast of the Town,

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Karen South Carolina Republicans State political party chairs of South Carolina Women in South Carolina politics Politicians from Spartanburg, South Carolina