By Katie Vaughn | Photography by Hillary Schave
As the daughter of a U.S. Marine, Karen Soraya Burch’s childhood was shaped by her father’s service. Her family moved around a lot — to “every coastal area” including California, the Carolinas and Florida — but she also witnessed the positive impacts of serving in the military.
“I saw how Marines transformed as they progressed through their military careers,” Burch says. “There was opportunity for growth, not only professionally but also personally.”
Burch joined the Marine Corps during her senior year of high school in 1997 and started boot camp and combat training in 1998 before heading to Maryland for the Defense Information School, where she studied journalism, public affairs, marketing and communication for the Marine Corps.
Next came two fortuitous opportunities: Burch was stationed in Quantico, Virginia, a busy military hub known as the “Crossroads of the Marine Corps ,” and then was one of a handful of Marines chosen to attend the Military Visual Journalism Program at S yracuse University.
“It’s like a military master’s program,” she says. “You attend as a civilian student and learn to become a stronger storyteller and photojournalist. Your mission is to complete the program and return to your military role to lead and mentor younger Marines.”
Following the program, Burch worked at two California stations, where she led marketing and communications as a communication strategy and operations chief.
In 2004, with the rank of staff sergeant, Burch decided to leave the Marine Corps to become a fulltime student. She enrolled in the University of South Florida, where she earned a degree in biomedical sciences — and eventually met her husband . After marrying and having their first child, they moved to Madison to be closer to his family. Their son and daughter are now in high school.
Here in Madison, Burch continued her education, earning an MBA in 2021 from the UW-Madison Wisconsin School of Business and working at UW Health before returning to marketing — first at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and then at United Way of Dane County, where she is currently vice president of community engagement and marketing.
Throughout her work, Burch constantly draws from the discipline, teamwork and leadership skills she developed during her time in the military.
“I’m a proud Marine,” she says. “It’s made me the leader that I am.”
