Maikor (Karen) Thao is named a 2020 SPAAR Hero

Maikor (Karen) Thao is a Realtor® with Realty Group out of Apple Valley and a member of SPAAR. Karen has been named SPAAR Hero!

Before Karen became a Realtor®, she worked as a nurse in the hospital, and still does today. She received her BSN from the college of St. Catherine in 2008. In 2018, she went back to nursing school for her Master’s degree while congruently beginning to plan, organize and setup for a Twin Cities Chapter of the Hmong Nurses Association.

Born in Thailand, Karen is inspired to bring her community together. She wants to encourage and empower nurses to become more educated, share western medicine and take hold of the opportunities available in the US.

The HNA currently has four active chapters in three states. An active chapter needs a minimum of 11 members; the Twin Cities chapter has 30 members. The HNA has a vision of empowering Hmong nurses to strengthen their career and reach their fullest potential in the nursing profession in solidarity of sharing knowledge to improve and to sustain the health of its members and the community. Karen states they are open to other ethnic groups that share a similar vision of sharing and empowering the community.

In 2013, with her passion for a healthy community, Karen began dreaming of a career in real estate. In 2015, she received her family’s blessing and pursued her goal to attend real estate classes and finalize her license. Karen enjoys helping her community to discover the housing they desire; it’s an extension of how she’s able to help build a healthy community. In her spare time, Karen enjoys sketching human portraits.

Congratulations, Karen!

SPAAR Hero is a program of SPAAR’s Community Engagement Committee, sponsored by SPAAR’s REALTORS® Charitable Foundation. Members of SPAAR’s Communications Committee interview and write the SPAAR Hero articles; thank you to Chelsea Erickson who interviewed and wrote the article on Karen. If you think someone should be named a SPAAR Hero, contact Joe McKinley at jmckinley@spaar.com.