About Karen Varley

Karen Varley grew up helping with livestock chores and field work on her family’s diversified dairy farm in Allamakee County, Iowa.  As a high school student she also worked for a local law firm, and after graduation she became a court reporter for the 2nd Judicial District of Iowa.  Recognizing that her heart was in agriculture, she left that job to study agronomy at Iowa State University and plant genetics at Cornell University.  Karen worked in farm business consulting for ISU Extension and as a patent agent for Pioneer Hi-Bred.  Seizing an opportunity for further education, she enrolled in Drake University Law School as a non-traditional student while employed full-time, graduating in 2015.

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At Iowa State, Karen met Warren Varley of Stuart.  They have been married for 43 years and have four grown children, all of whom were essential to the Varley homestead farm in Adair County in their youth.  Karen and Warren practice law together at Varley & Kearns Law Offices in Stuart and are active in the greater community.  Karen has served on the Stuart Public Library board, the Henry A. Wallace Farm board, the Adair County Tourism committee, and as poultry superintendent of the Adair County Fair.  She is currently on the boards of West Central Valley Scholarships, Stuart Revitalization Group, and Iowa Farmers Union.  She also leads the local Toastmasters club, a nonprofit dedicated to improved communication and civility.

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Karen’s commitment to rural Iowans runs deep.  She will advocate for smart investments in first-rate public education, clean water, access to health care for all ages, sustainable agriculture, housing solutions, affordable childcare, and grassroots economic development.  Her law practice in Stuart grounds her in the concerns of everyday Iowans, and she will bring experience in creative, practical problem-solving to the Iowa legislature.