Karen Johnson joined Charter in the fall of 2001 to assist with the government approval process for Charter’s shopping center development program. Karen has focused her efforts on land use permitting and project management since starting her career in Real Estate.

Prior to joining Charter, Karen served as a Real Estate Development Manager for the Stop & Shop Company. In that position, she was responsible for project management with an emphasis on schedule and budget for new store development in Connecticut, New York, and western Massachusetts. Karen served as the primary company representative during the community outreach and public meeting phases of the permitting process. During her tenure at Stop & Shop, Karen assisted with the approval and/or opening of fifteen superstores. Prior to Stop & Shop, she served as a Project Manager with VHB, an engineering and consulting firm, out of the Middletown, Connecticut office. Karen focused on permitting and project management for land development and telecommunications clients. Karen also worked as an analyst at Robinson & Cole LLP, a Hartford based law firm, where she worked in the land use section of the firm assisting with the due diligence and permitting process for commercial real estate and development clients. Karen has also worked in local government, serving as a town planner for Brooklyn, Connecticut. She began her career in real estate with a residential developer in Mystic, Connecticut.

Karen received a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and a Masters of Public Affairs from the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and completed a Certificate in Real Estate Finance from Boston University. Karen is a member of CREW Boston and MA APA.