Kara has over 25 years of appraisal work in county government working in areas as diverse as testifying at the Board of Tax Appeals for commercial property, to managing the valuation of residential properties such as single-family, multi-family and condominiums. She works in Johnson county Kansas and is currently the Assistant County Appraiser. Kara holds the Certified Assessment Evaluator (CAE), Residential Evaluation Specialist (RES) and Assessment Administration Specialist (AAS) designations from the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), as well as holding the Registered Mass Appraiser (RMA) in the State of Kansas.

Kara currently serves on the IAAO Executive Board and has served on the Education Committee and Instructors Relations Sub-committee. She has also chaired several task forces for the organization. Kara is a Senior National Instructor for IAAO and has taught course across the country. She served in various capacities at the Kansas City Chapter of IAAO.