She earned a Ph.D. from Emory University in the Ethics & Society program of the Graduate Division of Religion. She has published primarily in the area of bioethics, but also writes about the moral arguments surrounding public education. For the 2013-14 academic year, Karey is on leave from NC State and serving as Executive Director of Public Schools First North Carolina, a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for public education. Karey is a long-time supporter of public education and has been a volunteer for Great Schools in Wake since 2009. She has lived in Raleigh for 11 years and has three children in the Wake County public schools.