Waco, Texas

A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Carla grew up in Raymondville, Texas. After graduating from Southern Methodist University, she returned to her hometown to marry her high school sweetheart. Kenny and Carla were married for thirty-six years until his death in 2010. They have two daughters—Catherine Haynes Bauer and Colleen Haynes Lang—and five grandchildren—Adelaide, Haynes, and Kenneth Bauer; and Caroline and Walker Lang. In 2012, Carla married Tom Clowe; they live in Waco where they are members of First United Methodist Church.

Carla’s career in education spanned thirty-six years. She taught English at both the high school and university levels, was a middle school principal, and district-level director of Gifted and Advanced Academics for the Harlingen CISD. She has served on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation teams, Valley Baptist Medical System Foundation, Valley Land Fund, and the Rio Grande Valley Easter Seals Society. She is a founding board member of the Dallas Chapter of the Widow’s Journey.

After moving to Waco, she served on the Waco Symphony Association Board and the First UMC Preschool Board.

Currently she is a member of the Waco Town Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America and the Waco Literary Club. She is president of the Thursday Study Club and serves on the Waco Mammoth Foundation Board and the Executive Board of the Simmons School at SMU.