Meet Karen

Representative Karen DeSanto (D-Baraboo) was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2024 and is currently serving her first term representing the 40th Assembly District.

Born on July 3, 1964, in Sacramento, California, Karen moved to Wisconsin in the early 1990s. A former professional circus performer, she graduated from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1993 and spent years entertaining across the country, including with the Big Apple Circus and at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo.

Karen later transitioned into nonprofit leadership, serving as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Wisconsin from 2011 to 2024. During her tenure, she expanded the organization’s reach and earned several leadership awards, including the 2021 CEO of the Year from the National Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

In 2024, following a historic redistricting in Wisconsin, Karen ran for office in the newly-drawn 40th Assembly District. She won a competitive Democratic primary and went on to defeat the Sauk County Republican Chair in the general election.

She currently serves on the following Assembly committees:

• Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention
• Committee on Rural Development