Chris and Karen are lifelong Boston area residents. Karen grew up in Peabody and Sudbury, graduated from Connecticut College, and has a MA in education from Lesley University. She has been a teacher, an editor, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for The Boston Medical Center and The Learning Prep School, a school for students with complex learning profiles. Chris grew up in Springfield and received a B.S. from Boston College. Since 1986, Chris has worked in private equity, and co-founded Great Hill Partners, LP in 1998. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Trustees for Special Olympics of MA.

Karen and Chris have a daughter, Olivia, who has high-functioning autism, and is a successful client of the vocational services program at JVS which has led to continuous employment, tremendous self-esteem and a weekly pay check. Olivia has two older brothers and a very cute nephew. Seeing the tremendous growth in Olivia when she became gainfully employed and pairing it with the life skills coaching she needed to live a more independent and vibrant life inspired them to create a center where they could help other young adults with autism achieve the same goals, and we will be launching a new non-profit organization, Run The Gamut, Inc. in 2025.