Karen Elizabeth Penry was born in 1971 at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.  After high school in Ohio, she attended Brigham Young – Idaho, receiving a assoc in gen Education, followed by a bach Degree in Education from Idaho State University.  She married Craig Baker in 1991, a fellow student at BYU and a returned missionary from Argentina.  The have three children.  The family is very involved in the Boy Scout program.  Both Karen and Craig are Scoutmasters and have managed a summer camp for the Cub Scouts.  Both Karen and Craig are school teachers. The family lives in the Mountains of Idaho and spends their free time camping and skiing.