Karen Floyd

Karen Floyd is an American publisher, filmmaker, attorney, and former politician from South Carolina. She was the first woman to serve as chair of the Spartanburg County Council and chaired the South Carolina Republican Party from 2009 to 2011. In 2006, she was the Republican nominee for South Carolina Superintendent of Education, losing by a narrow margin. Floyd is the founder and chief executive officer of The Palladian Group, a marketing and communications firm, and the publisher of Elysian, a women's lifestyle magazine. Her career includes work in law, business, politics, media, and film production.

Education At the age of 16, Floyd passed the French baccalaureate entrance examinations in Philosophy and Literature at Notre Dame. She attended the Aspen Institute and is a Liberty Fellow, Class of 2008. She speaks French and Arabic. She later became a partner at the law firm King, Hray and Kanes. During her tenure, Floyd implemented operational changes aimed at reducing costs and increasing efficiency. She served as chief magistrate from 1992 to 1994 before transitioning to the private sector. and Volume Services, where she held various executive roles, including vice president. In 2015, Floyd founded Palladian Publications and began publishing Elysian magazine, with the first issue released in February 2016.

Floyd has served on the boards of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the S.C. Ports Authority (where she was treasurer until her term ended in 2013), the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the Spartanburg Development Council, and The Arts Partnership of Spartanburg. She served on the council for four years. In 2006, she was the Republican nominee for South Carolina Superintendent of Education, advocating for policies such as school choice and tax credits for private school tuition. The election was decided by a margin of only 455 votes, with Democrat Jim Rex declared the winner.

In 2009, Floyd was elected chair of the South Carolina Republican Party, becoming the first woman to hold the post. but did not seek reelection and concluded her term in 2011. In 2015, she founded Elysian Magazine, whose mission is "Women Inspiring Women".

Floyd has served as executive producer on four documentary films: two related to CatWalk FurBaby, which documents a charity fashion event benefiting animal rescue organizations, and two films about the war in Ukraine. Floyd met the film's subjects during her travels in Ukraine in early 2023. Later that year, she returned to Ukraine to produce Ukraine: For the Children, a 93-minute documentary.

In May 2025, Floyd was awarded the Âme de lumière ("Soul of Light") Impact in Cinema Award at the Cannes Sustainable Responsibility Gala.

Personal life Floyd resides in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with her husband, Gordon Floyd. They have two sons. In 2010, she received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian award.