Carla Knapp

Carla Knapp is National Vice President of Native Services of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She is a proven visionary and strategic leader with 20 years of executive-level, nonprofit experience, and began her work in Boys & Girls Clubs of America with chartering the first Native BGC in the Northeast as the Chief Professional Officer. Carla grew the service area for youth and partnered with five federally recognized tribes to expand programming for Native youth.

Carla has received numerous awards, including the Executive Director’s Award for demonstrating outstanding performance; Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Native Service to Youth Award; the Maytag Leadership Award, honoring dependable leaders throughout the BGCA movement; and the National Indian Gaming Association Chairman’s Leadership Award. Most recently, Carla was the recipient of the 2019 W. Errol Sewell Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding achievements of professionals.

In 2013, Carla accepted a position as one of the Native Services Directors of Organizational Development with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s newly established Native Services team to assist clubs on Native lands across the country. She was later promoted to the National Director of Native Services in 2014, and then Vice President in 2017, and now serves as the National Vice President of Native Services.

Additionally, Carla is a tribal member of the Penobscot Indian Nation and Bear Clan. She is married to Joseph Knapp and is the proud mother of two children. With the support of her family, Carla’s mission is to provide opportunities that improve the lives of youth and communities.