PHILANTHROPY

Carla serves as the Executive Director of Anglers for Conservation, a Florida non-profit dedicated to connecting people with fishing, nature and community. In 2023, over 500 children and their families participated in fishing workshops, receiving free rods and reels to underserved communities. She has empowered youth to mentor their peers, resulting in volunteers aged 5 to 17 leading the Hook Kids on Fishing program, which trains the next generation of marine stewards in sustainable fishing practices across five counties bordering the Indian River Lagoon, an estuary of national significance.  

Through her work in the non-profit, Carla discovered the critical role of seagrass, a marine flowering plant essential for the nursery grounds of commercial and recreational fish species. She believes that recreational anglers and boaters can significantly contribute to seagrass conservation. Her first position as a seagrass scientist came through a National Science Foundation - Research Experience for Undergraduates scholarship. Now, Carla works at the Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab at the University of Central Florida focusing on the restoration of coastal wetlands. Her graduate research aims to integrate seagrass conservation with citizen science involving anglers and boaters in her community. 

MILITARY LIFE

While in the military, her extensive experience leading marine operations made her an asset for missions in the Hawaiian Islands from USS Arizona internment ceremonies with the National Park Service to maritime security for Former-President Obama’s annual visits in Hawaii, and even mapping the seafloor in Papua New Guinea with Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Her public speaking skills and competence as boat captain put in motion her boat handling and safety training course for military personnel. She developed a curriculum that included actions for protecting marine animals and preventing marine debris from reaching the ocean.

ECOFEMINIST

As Latinx and feminist, she looks high and low to identify and uproot the barriers faced by women, minorities and indigenous people to access science education and technical training in maritime fields. Her desire is to empower women in male dominated fields like military, automotive, maritime, STEM; and highlight women’s role in natural-resource management and the impact of environmental degradation on women’s lives.

ENTREPENEUR

After the military, and during the pandemic, she ran a specialty automotive business, Main Line Overland with her husband with over $11 million net profit in the first year. 

RESEARCH

As a scientist, her primary research interests are in the fields of blue carbon, nature-based solutions, living shorelines, coastal zone management and environmental justice. She believes that through the implementation of nature-based solutions our coastal communities will become more resilient.

She spends her time off with her husband, Isaac and Australian Shepherd, Furlock Bones. You can find her in their garden, or anywhere outdoors like hiking, mountain biking, boating, off-roading or swimming.