Karen R. Lawrence

Lawrence was born in 1949.^{[1][better source needed]} She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University and a master's degree in English literature from Tufts University. Lawrence earned a PhD degree in literature from Columbia University in 1978.^{[2][3][1][better source needed]}

Lawrence is a scholar of English and Irish literatures. She is also a specialist on the work of James Joyce.^[4]

Lawrence began her career as an English professor at the University of Utah and University of California, Irvine.^{[1][better source needed]}

In August 2007, Lawrence became the 10th President of Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York.^[5][3][4] At the college, Lawrence was a successful college fundraiser, increased financial aid, and grew the size of the student body at the college. In July 2017, after 10 years as president, Lawrence stepped down.^[6][7]

In September 2018, Lawrence became the 9th President of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.^[8][9]

Lawrence's husband is Peter F. Lawrence, a physician. They have two sons.^{[4][1][better source needed]}