Before coming to Birmingham, she was an anchor and reporter at television stations in Las Vegas, Dallas, and Oklahoma City.

Carla is a three-time regional Emmy Award winner for her coverage of the mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. She also has also earned Associated Press awards for special reports and breaking news in Oklahoma City and Lexington, Kentucky.

Carla is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She has lived in California, Florida, Maryland, and Texas, but graduated high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.