Carla is a high energy, results-driven Aerospace and Defense executive with over 20 years’ experience in Business Development, corporate planning/restructuring, strategic alliances, inorganic growth initiatives (M&A) and precision manufacturing. With MBDi, Carla serves as a Senior Consultant assisting clients in growing revenue through effective BD strategy, planning, process implementation and operations.

For over a decade, she served as Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development Operations at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products (ATP). In this capacity, Carla streamlined business development (BD) operations, conducted BD-CMM benchmark assessments, implemented capture training, directed corporate council activities and was responsible for strategic alliances and growth projects where she successfully closed over $500 million in middle-market defense sector transactions.

Before assuming this role, Carla was Director of Business Development for the General Dynamics ATP Missile and Space Systems business unit. In this role, she successfully increased business unit orders over 40% by employing more disciplined business processes and negotiating strategic alliances with missile contractors to secure increased work share that resulted in more profitable returns to the business.

She began her career at Northrop Grumman Missile and Unmanned Vehicle Systems as a Research Engineer for the company’s Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) organization and was later assigned to Special Project Operations, as a Senior Technology Specialist, reporting to the Northrop Grumman Combat Systems Sector. As a key member of the ManTech team, she was responsible for technology transfer, process engineering and production implementation of advanced composites processes on manned and unmanned aircraft platforms.

Carla holds a BBA from Pittsburg State University (PSU), with a minor in Plastics Engineering Technology, and an MBA from NOVA Southeastern University. She was nominated for and successfully completed a year-long Fellows Program sponsored by the International Women’s Forum (IWF) Leadership Foundation and is a past graduate of the General Dynamics President’s Leadership Development (PLDP) Program.