Karen Heck

Karen Heck (born 1952)

Career In the 1980s Heck worked for the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program in the areas of family planning, reproductive rights, and universal health care. and Republican Andrew Roy, a disc jockey. She garnered 54 percent of the vote in the three-way race, with 2,021 votes out of a total 3,778 ballots cast. Among her accomplishments were the formation of a committee that initiated improvements at Waterville Robert LaFleur Airport, and Community Convergence, a question-and-answer forum for city residents. The recall divided the community and ultimately failed.

In 2025, Heck endorsed progressive Graham Platner for the 2026 United States Senate election in Maine.

Winery and distillery Heck and Bruce Olson are co-owners of Tree Spirits, an Oakland-based winery and distillery. The company has won international competitions since 2011 for its wines and distilled spirits made from locally sourced apple, pear, and maple syrup, and is the sole distiller of absinthe in New England.

Memberships Heck is a past president of the Waterville Rotary and the Coalition and Family Planning Providers group. She has served on the boards of the Maine Women's Fund, Safe Abortions for Everyone, Waterville Rape Crisis Assistance, Women's Development Institute, SAFE, Inc., and the Maine Center for Economic Policy. She has volunteered for the Mid-Maine United Way, the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, and the Waterville Boys and Girls Club, and campaigned for women running for state office.

Awards and honors Heck shared the 2002 Women of the Year award from the Maine Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs with Brown and Cole, her co-founders at Hardy Girls Healthy Women, and received the 2006 Achievement Citation Award from the Maine Statewide American Association of University Women. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2008.