Karen Rove is President and Founder of Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (ISI), a full service government affairs firm in Austin, Texas. ISI has represented clients before the Texas Legislature, the Texas Department of Transportation, state agencies, the Federal government and the U.S. Congress. ISI also provides strategic advice on business opportunities in the Texas transportation sector and on ballot initiatives and public information campaigns.
For over twenty years, Johnson-Rove has served as principal outside consultant for the Associated General Contractors of Texas. In 2016, she helped AGC pass the successful Proposition 7 Constitutional amendment campaign that garnered 83%. In 2015, she managed the Proposition 1 Amendment Campaign that passed by 80%. Together, these two Propositions will provide an additional $38 billion over the next 10 years in highway projects in Texas.
Johnson Rove played a key role in the Bush-Cheney Presidential Campaign from 1999 through 2001 Presidential Inauguration. Serving as a volunteer, she quickly achieved “Pioneer” status as a fundraiser; coordinated with business groups during the Iowa Straw Poll; and was a county campaign coordinator in the Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and California primaries. In July 2000, she joined the campaign full-time, working under the direction of Chairman Don Evans, Campaign Manager Joe Allbaugh and Political Director Ken Mehlman on special projects.
Subsequently, President-Elect George W. Bush appointed Johnson Rove as Director of the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee for the Bush-Cheney Transition. There she was responsible for the DOT transitional advisory team, including preparing briefing documents on transportation issues for Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and working with industry-related businesses.
The Bush/Cheney ’04 team asked Johnson Rove to coordinate the Mighty Texas Strike Force, a group of 1,500 Texas volunteers deployed to battleground states to help re-elect the President. This operation was the largest and most successful of such deployments of volunteers in political history.
From 1987 to 2001, she was Director of Public Affairs for the Texas Good Roads Transportation Association in Austin. As primary lobbyist for this statewide trade association, her responsibilities included fundraising and advancing the group’s legislative agenda.
Rove has served as a board member of the National Park Foundation, Senator John Cornyn’s finance committee, the Texas A&M University Political Science Advisory Board, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Board of Visitors, the Board of Directors for the Laura Bush Texas Book Festival, the Keep Texas Beautiful Board and also the Board of Directors of the American Automobile Association (AAA) Texas Advisory Board. She now serves on the McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors, the Development Committee for the Zach Theatre in Austin and the Board of Directors of the Bank of Austin.
Johnson-Rove is a 1987 graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and studies in Government, Business Administration and Speech.
