Karen Crouse is a New York Times staff writer, award-winning journalist and acclaimed author.  Her first book, Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence,” was published in 2018 by Simon & Schuster. Karen majored in journalism and chlorine, earning a varsity letter in swimming at the University of Southern California. She began her career in journalism at Swimming World Magazine and later moved into the world of newspaper reporting when she joined the Savannah News-Press, where she was the first woman to grace its sports department. She then worked at the Palm Beach Post and the Los Angeles Daily News before joining the New York Times in 2005 as a sports writer. Through her influence and powerful voice, Karen proved instrumental in persuading The Augusta National Golf Club to open its doors to female members in August of 2012.  She is the only woman to regularly cover the PGA Tour.  Karen has traveled the globe, covering sporting events, from the Super Bowl, the NBA and the NFL to the LPGA Tour, collegiate sports and 12 Olympics. Her book, “Norwich,” published to critical claim, asked the question:  Why does a tiny town in Vermont have a better chance of sending its kids to the Olympics than any other place in America.