Karen Kuhlman is Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at AAAE. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Congressional Affairs for United Airlines in Washington, D.C. As Congressional lobbyist for the airline, she was the senior leader that developed legislative strategy for United and represented the legislative interests and goals of the company and its 90,000 employees before Congress. During the 2010 merger between United and Continental, Karen was a key leader of the legislative strategy to gain Congressional support for the merger. She also led United’s efforts on a number of critical issues during the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bills in both 2012 and 2018.
Previously Karen worked on Capitol Hill for various members of the House of Representatives, including most recently as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK). Previously, Karen served as Legislative Directory/Deputy Chief of Staff (2001-2005) for Congressman Brad Carson (D-OK), focusing on his work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, including the Aviation Subcommittee.
Karen received a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Maryland as well as Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma. A native of Rockwall, Texas, she lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and three children.