Kara Asboth

“Growing up in the Alleghany Highlands, I was always outside when I was young. With more than half the area being national forest land and having Douthat State Park nearby, I enjoyed so many outdoor opportunities,” said State Parks Western Region Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Kara Asboth. She joined DCR in late 2017.

After receiving a degree in graphic design from Marymount University and homesick for the mountains, she found a job as a textile designer.

“It was during this time that I discovered that marketing was my true passion, and I was given the chance to work in marketing and worked my way up through the ranks,” she said. “I liked working in manufacturing and took an opportunity to work for a furniture manufacturer in Abingdon.”

Joining other textile professionals, she started a manufacturing company. There she served as design and marketing director.

“On my first day at the new company, I walked in with paper and a pencil and nothing else. I didn’t have a desk, phone or computer,” she said. “Talk about a leap of faith. But within three months, we were up and running and showed our first line at the Atlanta Gift Show.”

She sold her share of the growing business when her husband Sandor was deployed overseas with the U.S. Army.

“My husband was deployed four times to war zones. He was gone six years over a nine-year span,” she said. “I had three beautiful children who took priority and have never regretted selling my share of the company to be with them.”

When her husband retired after 25 years with the Army National Guard, she was ready to get back into the workforce full-time. She was hired as the special projects coordinator for the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.

“Through this position, I worked on special events, documentaries and advertising. I also worked with many organizations throughout Virginia, including the Virginia Tourism Corporation,” she said. She went from a part-timer to the full-time marketing manager developing advertising and marketing plans, handling graphic design and editing tourism publications.

Promoting Douthat State Park through the tourism department started the connection with Virginia State Parks. “When the position with the parks became available, I was excited to become part of the team. I liked working in tourism, and helping to promote state parks seemed a great fit.”

She joined state parks in September 2017 and was transferred to the Public Communications and Marketing Office in October 2017.