The Richmond Fed's Econ Focus publication profiled Horn as the first woman Fed Bank president and her leadership during the Ohio S&L crisis.
In its September 2010 issue, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's publication Econ Focus featured an article titled 'The Changing Face of Monetary Policy,' which highlighted Karen N. Horn's historic role as the first woman to serve as president of a Federal Reserve Bank.
The article examined the evolving demographic makeup of Federal Reserve leadership over time, using Horn's 1982–1987 tenure at the Cleveland Fed as a key reference point for the slow but meaningful progress of women into senior monetary policy roles. It specifically discussed her leadership during the challenging Ohio savings and loan crisis, when several state-chartered thrift institutions in Ohio faced insolvency and depositor runs, testing the resilience of the state's financial regulatory framework and requiring close coordination with the Federal Reserve.
By revisiting Horn's story nearly a quarter-century after she left office, the Richmond Fed's publication underscored the lasting historical significance of her appointment and the broader institutional memory of her as a trailblazer. It served as both a retrospective tribute and an educational resource documenting the slow diversification of Federal Reserve leadership over subsequent decades.
The piece remains a citable historical source used by researchers and journalists studying the history of women in central banking.