Karla Kirkling
Chicago Public Schools
NAGDCA Board Member-at-Large
Karla Kirkling is Executive Director of Healthcare & Benefits for Chicago Public Schools, where she oversees employee health and wellness benefits as well as the District’s 403(b) and 457(b) defined contribution retirement plans, which serve more than 39,000 participants and represent approximately $2.7 billion in assets.
Karla has more than 20 years of experience in K–12 public education and more than 15 years of leadership experience overseeing employee benefits. For the past seven years, she has led the administration and governance of Chicago Public Schools’ defined contribution plans, with a focus on participant outcomes, financial well-being, plan governance, and strategic plan improvements.
Karla has been actively involved with NAGDCA since 2022 and received NAGDCA’s Leadership Recognition Award for Plan Design & Administration that year. She also serves on the DCIIA Plan Sponsor Institute Executive Committee and regularly contributes to industry discussions on plan governance, participant outcomes, and retirement plan design.
