Compelled to visit one last campus during her senior year of high school, Karen Hanson-Flowers ’75 and her father ventured to Georgetown from her hometown of Midland, TX. Like many prospective students who visit Southwestern, she was immediately attracted to the comfortable admissions environment, engaging classroom discussions, and natural charm of the campus.

After studying French and Spanish through the 8th grade, Hanson-Flowers enrolled into German language camps during high school and continued that focus while at Southwestern. Hanson-Flowers’ passion for the German language led her to Trier, Germany during her junior year, where she lived and studied in buildings constructed during the Holy Roman Empire. Looking back, Hanson-Flowers realizes Southwestern has always provided an education that forces students to draw connections between their academic and personal pursuits, “That was well before either the Paideia® Program or the international studies degree program, which currently offer a much broader way to combine business and foreign languages.”

While languages were her primary focus, it was a collaborative Elizabethan England class taught by Professor of History Martha Allen, and Professor of Literature Lois Parker that reinforced the integrative nature of a liberal arts education at Southwestern, “That class, which I took that during a January winter term, taught me to appreciate how history and literature combine to affect our view of the present, how to apply learning from history and literature to any current situation, and how to apply critical learning skills from history and literature to our future in terms of culture. That course was the primary one which began my interest in lifelong learning and challenged me to study different types of subjects.”

Hanson-Flowers’ pursuit of knowledge has landed her in the role of Sr. Vice President of Alpheus Communications. Hanson-Flowers began her career as the secretary at Southern Natural Gas in the E&P division. Through hard work, solid mentoring and continuing education courses in the areas of oil and gas accounting, business law, geology, drilling engineering, reservoir engineering, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, federal insurance, tax, natural gas processing and transportation, hedging, credit analysis, ethics, contracts administration, and telecommunications law, Hanson-Flowers has successfully transitioned from secretary to landman to gas contracts negotiator and into her current role with Alpheus.

Despite a demanding career, Hanson-Flowers finds time to travel with her daughter to such places as Spain, France, Monaco and Italy, as well as serve her community and alma mater. Hanson-Flowers states, “My parents fostered a belief in me that an individual should give back to their community, but my experience at Southwestern fostered that commitment even further.” In addition to serving with the her church group, The Junior League of Houston and the Houston and American Associations of Professional Landmen, Hanson-Flowers continues to give back to Southwestern by serving as a class agent, decade chair and as the President’s Council Chair of the Annual Giving Board and recently participated in SU Connections: Houston, a mentoring program that connects current students with alumni in their chosen occupational field.

Hanson-Flowers hopes that her daughter, Rebecca, will have the opportunity to attend Southwestern and would like to tell current students to do three things: Keep learning, thinking and challenging yourself in all aspects of your life; Reach out and try something different at every opportunity; and Support Southwestern University.