Karen Schneider was a psychiatric nurse for three years and then attended law school. She spent eight years as a trial attorney and partner with Milliken, Van Susteren & Canan, and later was appointed by the federal court as a special master overseeing conditions in the Washington, D.C. correctional facilities. Subsequently, she consulted on medical/legal related issues. In 2011, she assumed the position of president of Lois Schneider Realtor, a residential real estate company in Summit, New Jersey.

A long-standing volunteer on the Hilltop, Schneider taught a mini-course on legal and ethical issues in nursing for 10 years and was an annual guest lecturer on HIV/AIDS for NHS for nine years. On the Hoya Hoop Club Board since 2007, Schneider has served as its vice president since 2009. She chaired the 25th Anniversary Gala and Auction celebrating the 1984 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and has coordinated numerous other events. She was a member of Hoyas Unlimited Board from 2009 to 2018, served on its Executive Committee for eight of those years, and was reelected to the Board in 2020. She was elected to the Board of Governors in 2009, chaired the Strategic Plan Committee from 2014 to 2016, and is currently an active senator. She has been a class ambassador since 2015 and an alumna interviewer for more than 10 years.

An avid fan of Georgetown men's basketball, Schneider has had season tickets for more than 30 years. She and her family can be found at virtually all home games and many away games, including those in China, Italy, Hawaii, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Karen resides in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband, David Heffernan, who she married at Dahlgren Chapel in 1987. They are proud parents of Megan (C’11) and Katie (C’14) Heffernan.