Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, Karen DeLeon is a business owner, community leader and a mother that resides in North Miami.
Moving to North Miami in 1987, DeLeon was immediately drawn to the grassy median and view of the woods in the Arch Creek area on northeast 135 street.
“We used to cut through Keystone on our way to the beach, yes, I admit it,” said DeLeon. “When the chance to buy a home here materialized, we jumped on it.”
DeLeon rides her bike daily to shop, eat, and walk the dog.
“Being able to have a healthy lifestyle within a big city keeps me here,” she said.
In addition to building a healthy lifestyle, DeLeon also built a business with her husband, Ovidio DeLeon, and is vice president of Sailboards Miami Watersports.
“Twenty years ago, my husband’s partner developed skin cancer,” said DeLeon. “We were expecting a baby; I was finishing my master’s degree, and next thing I knew I was vice president of a windsurfing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding business.”
Sailboards Miami has been in business for more than 20 years, and was featured on various platforms including HGTV, American Airlines, Deco Drive and ABC Family’s Switched.
“We are rated the #1 location in the continental U.S. to learn to windsurf and paddlers can enjoy visiting Viscaya and a hidden mangrove estuary,” said DeLeon. “[It’s] absolutely beautiful and great for all ages and fitness levels.”
Not only is DeLeon a business owner, she is a community leader in North Miami as president of the Keystone Point Homeowners Association and a Parks and Recreation Commissioner.
As president, Karen works with involved residents that want to better their community in terms of beauty, safety, and community interaction.
“I enjoy working with the board—it gives me a sense of place and community,” said DeLeon. “When one of us is in need, others reach out to help. It is especially appreciated in raising children or caring for our elders.”
DeLeon knows this because she raised her daughter Lauren in North Miami.
Lauren developed her interest in the arts when she participated in Odyssey of the Mind and the Fairchild Challenge while attending David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center.
“Locally she studied music and dance as a very young child with ballet instructor Jessica Wolland at the Keystone Tot Lot,” said DeLeon.
Lauren also attended Lola’s Environmental Camp at Enchanted Forest Park, and worked as a counselor last summer.
This summer, she is interning at City Theatre, in Brickell, before returning to college in New York to study playwriting and directing.
While she has raised her child, built a business and became a community leader, DeLeon doesn’t plan on leaving North Miami’s diversity and rich culture.
“I like to think I have been able to make a small dent in a corner of the universe. Having raised a daughter here, I see in her what I am most proud of,” said DeLeon. “She is a young woman who is accepting of people regardless of background–her only expectation is of respect and responsibility.”
“If you want to improve something, you have the access and opportunity to take the lead and get things done. Having spent my entire adulthood here, I have learned that it is up to me to make a difference.”—Karen DeLeon, President of Keystone Point Homeowner’s Association
