Karen Budelier Brown

Retired professional · Full-time volunteer · Proud grandma

A life of
purpose, service
& family.

Karen brings people, ideas, and communities together—with warmth, curiosity, and a gift for making everyone feel welcome.

Meet Karen Her Airbnb
Professional portrait of Karen Budelier Brown

Her next chapter.
Retired by title. Fully booked by purpose.

Listen closely Show up fully Leave things better Make room for joy
01

Her story

Retired from a career.
Not from making a difference.

After a long career helping organizations preserve knowledge and helping people work better together, Karen’s next chapter feels wonderfully familiar: connect, organize, encourage, serve.

Her professional life spanned more than three decades in knowledge management and program leadership, including work with Deere & Company and UKG. She built communities of practice, helped teams share critical knowledge, and made complicated systems more human.

Retirement simply shifted the setting. Today, Karen gives her time and experience to local organizations, her faith community, the arts, her Airbnb guests—and the grandkids who make every calendar more fun.

View her full professional story
02

Career highlights

A career built around
people and knowledge.

30+ years

Knowledge management & program leadership

A career devoted to helping people find, preserve, and share the knowledge organizations depend on.

Deere & Company

Enterprise knowledge management

Led work across communities of practice, collaboration tools, SharePoint, content management, and critical-knowledge retention.

UKG

People-centered knowledge sharing

Brought decades of program experience and a practical, human approach to the final chapter of her professional career.

University of Iowa

Early work in AI & expert systems

Studied artificial intelligence and expert systems while building a knowledge-based management solution for computer operations.

03

In the community

Where Karen
shows up.

Good work grows when people give it their time, their talents, and their whole heart.

01

Board member & event volunteer

American Red Cross

Supporting the Quad Cities and Northwest Illinois chapter, with a special focus on philanthropy and A Taste on the River.

Visit organization
02

Treasurer

St. John’s Lutheran Church

Serving a local faith community that brings people together through worship, outreach, care, and practical support.

Visit organization
03

Festival of Trees volunteer leader

Quad City Arts

Helping create a beloved holiday tradition that fuels arts programming, performances, and education across the region.

Visit organization
Spacious private guest suite in Karen's Rock Island home
Airbnb Superhost
04

Hospitality

Come in.
Feel at home.

Karen and Bob welcome travelers to a spacious, quiet, and private lower-level guest suite in their Rock Island home—convenient to Augustana College, Deere & Company, the Rock Island Arsenal, and the Quad Cities.

4.97 average rating
365guest reviews
1,000+sq. ft. guest suite
View the Airbnb

Airbnb rating and review count shown as of September 2026.

Notes from recent guests

Hospitality
people remember.

★★★★★4.97Airbnb average
★★★★★
“It was quiet and clean. Karen and Bob were extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful.”
— Zach, Airbnb guest
★★★★★
“Lovely home and great area! Karen was responsive to ensure we were comfortable throughout our stay.”
— Eira, Airbnb guest
★★★★★
“The hosts were very friendly, helpful, and kind. They made us feel right at home!”
— Michelle, Airbnb guest
★★★★★
“This Airbnb is seriously the nicest I’ve stayed in—incredibly clean and very homey.”
— Brandon, Airbnb guest
Read more guest reviews on Airbnb
Bob, Karen, Andrew, Vivian and Joseph in front of an Apache helicopter Family at the heart of it all
05

Family

The people at
the heart of it all.

Karen and her husband Bob are proud parents and grandparents. Their sons have each built lives and ventures of their own—and she is always in their corner.

Her grandson Charlie was born in Alaska and is already collecting adventures with his family, including sunny days in Hawaii—often with Daniel the Spaniel nearby.

Andrew Lekowski at a military ceremony
Her sonAndrew LekowskiVisit AV Apartments
Joseph Lekowski
Her sonJoseph LekowskiBeetles, Bones & Bouquets
Andrew and Vivian with Charlie beside an Apache helicopter
Andrew and Vivian with Charlie beside his Apache
Andrew speaking in uniform at a change-of-command ceremony
Andrew’s company change-of-command ceremony
Karen celebrating a military milestone with Andrew
Celebrating Andrew’s military milestone
Joseph and Miranda at Beetles, Bones and Bouquets
Joseph and Miranda at Beetles, Bones & Bouquets
Joseph holding a freshly harvested carrot
Joseph, right at home in the garden
Andrew, Vivian and Charlie on a beach in Hawaii at sunset
Andrew, Vivian and Charlie in Hawaii
Karen smiling with Charlie and a picture book
Story time with Grandma Karen
Charlie resting beside Daniel the Spaniel
The grandsons: Daniel the Spaniel & Charlie
Charlie smiling outdoors in Hawaii
Charlie soaking up the sunshine in Hawaii
Painted portrait of Karen holding Charlie as a newborn
A painted keepsake of Karen and Charlie
Karen and Bob celebrating Charlie's first birthday
Charlie’s first birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Bob
The extended family gathered together on the couch
Everyone under one roof
A full living room of family at Karen and Bob's home
A full house, the way she likes it
Karen and Bob surrounded by children and grandchildren
Karen and Bob with the whole crew

The chapter she’s writing now

Be useful.
Stay curious.
Love generously.

Whether she’s around a board table, helping with a community event, welcoming a guest, balancing the church books, or laughing with family, Karen’s approach is the same: bring energy, make the work lighter, and care about the people beside you.

Get in touch

Say hello to Karen.

For community work, a friendly introduction, or simply to reconnect.

(309) 737-5321 kjbudelierbrown@gmail.com