Karen Fetzer

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: June 28, 1960, Fort Bliss Army Hospital, El Paso, Texas. I’m a military brat. Father was Army; mother was Navy.

MY FAVORITE FOODS ARE sashimi and sukiyaki. High on my list are any fresh farm-raised vegetables. I grew up on a farm and really did not appreciate growing and harvesting our own vegetables at the time, but now I absolutely crave them.

I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT EAT liver. GUILTY PLEASURE: shoes

LAST BOOK I READ WAS The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. It’s a book that teaches financial literacy designed for elementary students. The Rotary Club of Little Rock partnered with the Little Rock School District this spring to support providing this book and a complementary grade-appropriate study guide to every student K-5 in the district (13,000 of them). THE MENU FOR MY LAST MEAL: Arkansas-grown sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in vinegar with a dollop of sour cream, fried okra, fresh corn, purple hull peas, my father’s chicken-fried steak, cornbread. Does Chardonnay go with all that? I’M MOST COMFORTABLE WITH PEOPLE WHO are genuine and enjoy adventure.

I LIKE TO WEAR: I’m most comfortable in a jacket for work, and I love a great dressed-up jean outfit. Growing up my mother made all my clothes. We had such fun designing. Usually we went off grid on patterns and fabrics.

I WOULD NEVER WEAR: Muumuus are on the donot-wear list.

GUESTS AT MY FANTASY DINNER PARTY: My mother (I miss her terribly), Gilda Radner, Jackie Onassis, Paul Harris (founder of Rotary), Sid Brooks (founder of Rotary in Arkansas), Dan West (founder of Heifer International), Mary Harriman Ramsey (founder of Junior League). Could those last four have had a clue what a legacy they would leave?

BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT: “This above all; to thine own self be true.” William Shakespeare by way of my mother, meaning sticking to our core values and principles in life.

WORST ADVICE I EVER GOT: You should never … fill in the blank.

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS IS PAVED WITH passion, dedication, commitment, hard work and fun.

ONE WORD TO SUM ME UP: blessed.