Military mom, teacher, pet lover: What to know about Second lady Karen Pence

Karen Pence, who has focused much of her initiatives as second lady on military families, used her spotlight at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday to praise them as heroes.

She spotlighted two military spouses who created R. Riveter, a handbag company named after the Rosie the Riveter campaign used to recruit women workers during World War II.

Another “military spouse hero,” Jilan Hall-Johnson of Montana, worked with the Small Business Administration’s Development Center to start a restaurant, the Sassy Biscuit.

“These men and women, like our daughter, Charlotte, and our daughter-in-law, Sarah, are the home front heroes,” she said of military spouses.

Here's what you should know about Karen Pence:

Military mom

The Pences’ son, Michael, is a pilot in the Marine Corps. Their oldest daughter, Charlotte, is married to a Navy pilot.

Karen Pence’s efforts to support military families has included pushing states to make it easier for military spouses to transfer professional credentials.

She’s also a lead ambassador for a suicide-prevention initiative initially created by the administration to help veterans but also being used to reach out to all Americans struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

Pence has also used her position to bring attention to the art therapy profession. When she was Indiana's first lady, Pence played an instrumental role in the development of the art therapy program at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. But at the annual American Art Therapy Association meeting in 2017, some art therapists questioned whether Pence should be allowed to promote their profession, arguing that some policies of the administration don't mesh with art therapy’s code of ethics.

More: Here's why some art therapists are in a heated debate over Karen Pence

Teacher at Christian school

A watercolor artist, Pence teaches art part-time at a Christian school in Northern Virginia.

In a Fox News interview before her convention speech Wednesday, Pence emphasized that her school is “100% kids at school.” The Trump administration has urged schools not to teach students remotely despite the pandemic.

“We have ways that we can take precautions,” she said of the novel coronavirus.

Pence's part-time job previously drew scrutiny because of Immanuel Christian School’s policy of not allowing gay teachers or students.

Pence sees the criticism of her teaching at the school as an attack on her faith – and a violation of the religious liberty tenet on which she said the nation was founded.

"I’m just a person who believes in the Bible, so it shouldn’t be right for someone to attack me for my beliefs," she told USA TODAY last year.

Fact check: Does Mike Pence really call his wife 'Mother'?

Pet lover

"Today is #NationalDogDay!" Pence tweeted Wednesday. "We love our furry best friend, Harley! Throwback to when he was just a little puppy."

In addition to Harley, the Australian shepherd that the vice president got as a Father's Day present in 2017, the Pences have a cat, Hazel.

(Both pets' names begin with "H" as do their "parents'' Secret Service code names. The vice president's is "Hoosier" and his wife's is "Hummingbird.")

Their most famous pet is "Marlon Bundo," a rabbit that Charlotte Pence Bond acquired in college that has starred in children's books illustrated by Karen Pence and written by her daughter.

Comedian John Oliver created a parody version of the first book to criticize the vice president’s record on gay rights.

Charlotte Pence Bond bought a copy, saying people should support both books since the proceeds from both go to charity.

More: Marlon Bundo, Vice President Mike Pence's bunny, explains coronavirus guidelines

Hoosier touches

One of the home state touches Pence has added to the vice presidential residence is a half basketball court.

It was installed primarily to have a level platform to help with catering outdoor events. But when it was done, the Pences wheeled onto it the portable basketball hoop that had been in the driveway.

They also had the logo from the vice president’s favorite sports movie — the story of an underdog Indiana basketball team — applied to what’s now called the “Hoosier court.” The logo, however, isn’t permanent.

“The next guy probably isn’t going to want that,” Pence said in 2018. “Unless he’s from Indiana.”

Vice Presidential residence: How Karen and Mike Pence — and their pets — have left their mark

Increased campaign role

While Pence was a regular presence at her husband’s side during the 2016 campaign, she has taken on more of her own duties for the re-election effort.

Although she’s referred to herself as “kind of the low man on the totem pole,” her outreach to Republican women and fellow Christian conservatives has helped the campaign – as well as helped dispel any doubts about her own commitment to the president.

A book about Mike Pence published last year suggested his wife agreed to stick with the 2016 campaign after the release of the “Access Hollywood” video out of the expectation that Trump would probably lose, setting up Mike Pence for his own 2020 bid. Pence has disputed that, saying she loves "being part of this ticket, part of this administration.”

"I want to go and do what I can and do my part," she told USA TODAY in November. “And they are things that I’m like, 'I can go. I can go do this. Put me in, coach.' "

Financial concerns

In addition to detailing Karen Pence’s unhappiness with Trump in 2016, the book “Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House,” described her concern over how winning would affect the family’s tight finances.

“What are we going to do Mike?? We don’t have any money! Who’s going to pay for my inaugural gown??” author Tom LoBianco quoted Karen Pence as saying.

Pence's office declined to comment about the book.

Trump ended up arranging for the inaugural committee to cover some updates to the vice presidential residence and to buy Karen Pence two ball gowns – an original and the cost of altering that dress into one she liked better, according to the book.

Financial disclosure reports show that the Pences have a modest bank account and are paying off loans taken out to help pay for their children's educations.

The 'D.C. Hillbillies'

Before the Pences became the Second Family, they were the self-dubbed “D.C. Hillbillies" when Mike Pence served in Con They gave themselves that name after over-enthusiastically participating in a Capitol Hill event for congressional families called “Pet Night.” It was a chance for the children of lawmakers to meet famous pets, such as the cat from "Stuart Little" or the dog from "Men in Black." The Pences thought it an experience that should be shared with their actual pets – a dog, two cats and a lizard.

“I don’t know when exactly our mother found out that we had misjudged Pet Night, but it was most likely at some point after Bud (the dog) tried to run away and before Madeline (the cat) threw up a hairball next to Dad’s foot as he discussed legislation with another freshman congressman,” Charlotte Pence Bond wrote in her 2018 book about her family.

The lesson the Pences took away: “If you take yourselves too seriously in D.C., you miss all the fun.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RNC: What to know about Karen Pence