Karen Ashton

Women of Charity » Philanthropy

Creator of Thanksgiving Point and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Raised in Murray, Utah, Ashton met her husband, Alan, on a blind date and worked full-time as a homemaker and mother to the couple’s eleven children while he founded and ran WordPerfect. Later, she and Alan built Thanksgiving Point as a thank you to the community. The development includes a 55-acre garden, Children’s Discovery Garden, restaurants, reception areas, 18-hole golf course, and the world’s largest dinosaur exhibit. Ashton was also instrumental in fundraising for a new children’s library in Orem, Utah, and spearheading the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Ashton serves on a number of boards in Utah and is the recipient of numerous community service awards.