Educated at the University of Notre Dame, Karla graduated with degrees in Architecture and Art History in 1992. Her past career experience includes working at an architectural firm in Huntsville, Alabama and a design/build firm in Quad Cities, Iowa.

In 1998, Karla moved to Philadelphia and joined T.N. Ward Company, where she celebrated her 20th Anniversary this past year. She has performed a variety of functions including estimating, marketing and project management.

Karla is also an Adjunct Instructor at Thomas Jefferson University where she teaches undergraduate and master degree students about materials and methods of construction and serves on the Construction Management Advisory Board.

She served five years as President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Society of Professional Estimators and is currently the chairperson of the ASPE National Standards Committee which just recently published the 10th Edition of the Standard Estimating Practice Manual. Through magazine articles in Estimating Today and monthly blogs she promotes industry best practices in estimating and sharing of new construction trends.

Special certifications include being a licensed architect, Certified Professional Estimator and LEED Accredited Professional BD+C. She enjoys working with clients during the pre-construction phase to bring their visions to reality. She is the Project Estimator for the Sustainable Energy Fund’s Net Zero Energy Project.