She previously worked as the legislative liaison at the Ohio Public Defender, where she advocated for legislative and policy changes to improve the criminal justice system. Part of her work included participating on the Ohio Supreme Court Criminal Sentencing Commission and Ohio Criminal Justice Recodification Committee, editing and drafting Ohio’s criminal code. While at OPD, she prepared cases and presented them to the Ohio Parole Board. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, College of Law. During law school, Kari worked at the Children's Law Center where she advocated for improved conditions for children in the Department of Youth Services.