Karla became President and CEO of Goodwill in Colorado Springs in August 2010, and of Goodwill of Colorado in May 2019, reflecting the expanded scope of the merged Colorado Springs and Denver Goodwill organizations. The merger is the largest in the history of the Goodwill network with a combined budget of over $171 million.
In addition to her role as President and CEO of Goodwill of Colorado, Karla has served on many community, state, and national boards including Memorial Hospital, Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Board, the Pikes Peak Workforce Investment Board, the Governors State Workforce Council, as lead Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair for the Board of Directors of 5Star Bank and on the Colorado Springs School Board of Trustees.
In 2013, Karla was elected to the board of directors for Goodwill Industries International (GII), a $7 billion international organization. She first served as Treasurer, then as Vice Chair, and Board Chair in 2018-2019. In 2016, Karla was awarded GII’s Matthews Entrepreneurial Award and the Watkins Award for Mission Advancement and was the 2019 recipient of GII’s Kenneth K. King Outstanding Management Award for Executive Excellence which is presented to a Goodwill CEO who demonstrates outstanding leadership and accomplishments. In 2019, Karla was given the Athena Award, presented to an outstanding businesswoman who inspires others through her professional accomplishments, mentorship and community service.
She currently serves on the Board of the Employers Council, a four-state organization that advises thousands of organizations on employment law, and as a founding member, member of the board of directors, and the audit chair of GoodwillFinds Ecommerce, Inc., a nationwide ecommerce platform.
Karla holds a BA from Notre Dame and an MBA from Indiana University and served as an adjunct lecturer in the graduate schools of Yale University and New York University. She also served on the National Advisory Council of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey.
Karla and husband Ward Berlin have one daughter, Morgan.