Senior Vice President of Community Initiatives
Karla Lawrence, LPC
Karla Lawrence serves as Senior Vice President of Community Initiatives at United Way of Central Alabama. She leads United Way’s initiatives and direct service programs for Central Alabama in the areas of health, education, financial stability, access to services and disaster recovery.
A native of Mobile, Karla moved to Birmingham after obtaining a Master of Science degree in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University. She has maintained status as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) since 2003. Prior to joining UWCA, Karla spent most of her career working for social service agencies focusing on child, youth and family advocacy. She spent more than a decade working for United Way partner agencies where she served in program management and senior leadership roles.
Karla then joined United Way in 2015, first serving as Vice President of Community Initiatives through 2016 before assuming her current role. She has more than 20 years of nonprofit management and direct service experience, including program development and compliance with federal, state and local grants. Throughout her career, she has assisted United Way with long-term recovery efforts in Central Alabama, providing case management to tornado victims. She now leads the Long-term Recovery Committee for Central Alabama. She also serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for three of UWCA’s subsidiaries: Community Partnership of Alabama, Meals on Wheels of Central Alabama and Priority Veteran.
Karla and her husband have two children and have called Birmingham home for more than 20 years.
Karla Lawrence serves as Senior Vice President of Community Initiatives at United Way of Central Alabama. She leads United Way’s initiatives and direct service programs for Central Alabama in the areas of health, education, financial stability, access to services and disaster recovery.
A native of Mobile, Karla moved to Birmingham after obtaining a Master of Science degree in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University. She has maintained status as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) since 2003. Prior to joining UWCA, Karla spent most of her career working for social service agencies focusing on child, youth and family advocacy. She spent more than a decade working for United Way partner agencies where she served in program management and senior leadership roles.
Karla then joined United Way in 2015, first serving as Vice President of Community Initiatives through 2016 before assuming her current role. She has more than 20 years of nonprofit management and direct service experience, including program development and compliance with federal, state and local grants. Throughout her career, she has assisted United Way with long-term recovery efforts in Central Alabama, providing case management to tornado victims. She now leads the Long-term Recovery Committee for Central Alabama. She also serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for three of UWCA’s subsidiaries: Community Partnership of Alabama, Meals on Wheels of Central Alabama and Priority Veteran.
Karla and her husband have two children and have called Birmingham home for more than 20 years.