With over 30 years in the financial services industry, Carla is a seasoned professional. Starting her career in 1991, in a support role for a local Divisional Manager, she had a lot to learn about the investment business. She often tells the story of a kind-hearted and very successful advisor, who introduced himself as he walked past her desk the first week she started at PaineWebber, Inc., and immediately insisted she enroll in the company’s 401K. He took the time to help educate and start her on her own personal investment journey and from the example of that initial interaction, a seed began to grow. She was inspired to learn how she could help others build their financial futures. Working alongside many of the best advisors, she watched and studied, eventually becoming a fully licensed professional. After different career moves, where educating others on financial principles was always a central focus of any role she served in, Carla joined our team, 14 years ago, while with UBS Financial Services, Inc., to further develop the financial planning process Dan Murphy thought was critical to meeting the future needs of our clients. She is most proud of how our clients share their hopes, dreams, concerns and family stories with her as she works with them on building, delivering and adjusting, when needed, their detailed and personalized financial plans. Before we realize it, a professional relationship has naturally turned into friendship as well.

Now at Great Lakes, Carla is one of two, Wealth Relationship Managers on the team and we believe her proclivity to help educate clients, her emphasis on proactive client contact and her natural ability to build personal relationship while delivering a superior client experience, solidifies her as an industry leader. 

Education/Professional Background

Carla earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She also prepares herself with annual continuing education and compliance training. 

Personal

Carla is an avid servant leader, volunteering with numerous charitable and community-based organizations like Empowered Minds, Inc., a youth development non-profit where she is a Board Member, Program Leader, Content Creator and Presenter. She has been trained and certified as a volunteer for the Salvation Army Royal Oak Citadel program where she provides services to participating Seniors during their social programs as one of organizations served by her Friends on a Mission to Serve volunteer group. She commits time to Money Matters For Youth, a financial literacy camp held for a week each summer in the city of Detroit, whose mission is to teach children of all ages the basics of economics, financial responsibility and entrepreneurialism. She participates on a steering committee for the group, MicroMissions, whose founder is committed to positively impacting Kenyan youth and families with economic support, community and personal development as well as workforce development and training while exposing U.S. citizens to opportunities to see and hear about real life in African countries on the ground to increase impact and awareness. She is also an active member of her church Oak Grove AME Church where she works on the Media Ministry, with the Commission on Christian & Social Relations group, dances with the Vessels of Grace Liturgical dance ministry and is a part of the Ministry to Women where she has been selected to Co-Chair the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Women’s Day Seasons.

She is the proud mother of a Wayne State University student, Noah, who is a college, Junior, a part-time airline customer service representative, working to pay the rest of his way through school (putting his own skin in the game to finish up) and who is also a budding photographer/videographer creative and entrepreneur. With Noah semi-launched into young adulthood, Carla showers all her attention on her fur baby, Bernadette, her American Bulldog/Pittie mix rescue who she is completely devoted to, since adopting her thirteen years ago. She can often be seen showing off pictures of her senior dog and once again, educating others against unfair judgment assigned to Bully breed dogs who she believes to be the most cuddly, loving, house hippo breed there is. 

Fun Facts 

Alumnus History: A second-generation graduate of the renowned Cass Technical High School in Detroit, I, along with my son, a third-generation graduate, share alum status with multiple Great Lakes clients, Fortune 500 CEOs and numerous famed artists, actors and comedians like Lily Tomlin and Diana Ross (before I attended).  When others have long forgotten their high school friend groups, I amazingly still socialize and travels with my close-knit classmates, sometimes with more than 75 alums on various international trips.  I’m certain any CT alum you meet would share their motto, that Cass Technical High School is “Second to None”! 
Hobbies: Include urban ballroom dancing and line hustles with learning salsa next up, on her dance repertoire list. I’ve recently started a sewing class at the Farmington Hills rec center and want to learn how to crochet.
Soft Spot: An animal lover at my core, I’ve always rescued dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and has had a couple fish and a turtle too. 
Memory from the 80’s: After standing in line for several hours, I along with a cousin and my college roommate were the last 3 folks in line selected to be in the studio audience of the Arsenio Hall show with my cousin being chosen to sit in the famed “dog pound” on the late 80s late night TV show.