Kara grew up outside of Chicago in Arlington Heights, Illinois. After attending Illinois State University and majoring in Elementary Education, she hopped across the pond to teach in England, returning briefly to Chicago, before landing in Colorado in 2008 and Lyons in 2009. With endorsements in math and language arts, she taught sixth grade before becoming a STEM coordinator in SVVSD. After having children, Kara decided to take on a bigger role with the family business, a marketing agency called Ramblin Jackson, and homeschool their two young boys. She has served two terms on the Friends of the Lyons Regional Library Board.