Karen Branding joined the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in January 2011 as the senior vice president for Public Affairs. Much of her 25-year career has been spent in public affairs positions.

Ms. Branding earned her bachelor's in public administration from Drake University, her master's in public affairs from Indiana University and her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. She started her career in Washington, D.C., as a Presidential Management Fellow. As a fellow, she had assignments at the Treasury and Federal Reserve Board. Later in Washington, she worked for the Bureau of the Public Debt and the Office of Management and Budget.

Returning to St. Louis, she worked as a government affairs consultant for the public relations firm of Fleishman-Hillard Inc. The next 15 years were spent at Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Among her positions were corporate vice president of Busch Entertainment Corp. and CEO of Busch Creative Services, both subsidiaries of Anheuser-Busch. Most recently, Ms. Branding was the associate dean and director of marketing and communications at Washington University's Olin School of Business.

Ms. Branding's community involvement includes service on the boards of directors for Neighborhood Houses, Eden Theological Seminary and Big Brothers Big Sisters.