Karen Majewski received her Ph.D. in American Culture from the University of Michigan with an emphasis on immigration and ethnicity. She served as Executive Director of the Polish-American Historical Association from 1998 to 2007, and speaks and publishes extensively on Polish-American history and culture. Her 2003 book, Traitors and True Poles: Narrating a Polish-American Identity, 1880-1939, has won several awards. Since 1996 she has been Curator of Polish and Rare Books for the Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools in Orchard Lake, Michigan, where she is also Archivist. After serving on Hamtramck, Michigan's Historical Commission, she was elected to City Council in 2003, serving as its President. In 2005 she was elected Hamtramck's first woman Mayor.