As the U.S. Director of Environmental Justice and Equity, Carla leads efforts to strengthen the integration of equity, governance, and community-centered decision-making across climate, energy, transportation, land use, and infrastructure policy. Her work focuses on helping institutions design and implement policies that are responsive to community needs, improve public accountability, and deliver lasting benefits for people, nature, and climate.

With more than two decades of experience spanning government, advocacy, and civic partnerships, Carla brings a practitioner’s perspective to systems change. She specializes in translating community experience into actionable policy and governance strategies, helping public agencies, nonprofits, and coalitions navigate complex environmental and social challenges. Her work has included advancing equitable climate and infrastructure investments, strengthening public participation in decision-making, and supporting communities disproportionately affected by environmental and economic burdens.

Prior to joining WRI, Carla served as Climate Advisor to the City of Cincinnati through Bloomberg Philanthropies’ American Cities Climate Challenge, where she led initiatives focused on energy efficiency for low-income households, clean transportation, electric vehicle infrastructure, and community-centered climate planning. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles in local and state government and advised more than 100 political and issue-based campaigns. Through her consulting practice, she worked with organizations across the United States and internationally on equity, environmental policy, civic engagement, and community development.

Carla holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Cincinnati, an M.S. in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida, and an M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School. She serves on several nonprofit and civic boards and remains actively engaged in advancing sustainable and equitable development in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio and across the Midwest.