Rev. Dr. Carla Perkins Bringing Legacy of Helping to NBA’s Mental Health and Wellness Work

The National Benevolent Association recently welcomed Rev. Dr. Carla Perkins as its new Director of Mental Health & Wellness. In this position, Rev. Dr. Perkins guides NBA’s continued work to support mental health and wellness across the life of the Disciples church, creating spaces where people can find care, connection, and practical resources for healing and wholeness.

“We are excited to have Carla join the NBA team,” said Rev. Monica Wedlock Kilpatrick, NBA’s Vice President of Organizational & Leadership Development. “Carla will broaden our ecumenical relationships and understandings, while also affirming our unique Disciples context. She brings extensive experience in program design, grant writing and program evaluation, and will further strengthen her skills to reach a national audience with mental health.”  

For Rev. Dr. Perkins, the work of helping others is both personal and vocational. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she grew up in a family shaped by hospitality, care, and service. Her parents, who immigrated to the United States as young adults, taught her the value of education, opportunity, and responsibility to the wider community. Rev. Dr. Perkins understood early that her life and work were connected to a larger legacy.

“I have always known that whatever I do with my life is not just for me,” she remarked. “My parents and my family members made a way for me, and whatever I did was going to serve as the example for other family members that were younger than me. Because of that, I naturally wanted to pursue careers that involved helping people.”

Over the course of her career, Rev. Dr. Perkins has served in direct services, case management, private practice, school and family systems, crisis counseling, and disaster support. Her experiences have given her a broad understanding of how systems shape people’s lives, and how those working within systems can create pathways for people to be seen, supported, and changed.

In her work at NBA, Rev. Dr. Perkins looks forward to cultivating meaningful relationships with the individuals and organizations NBA serves and partners with. She is eager to learn from those already connected to NBA’s mental health and wellness work while also reaching people who may not yet know how NBA’s resources and programs can support them, as well as continuing and strengthening key NBA mental health and wellness events and programs including the Mental Health Professionals Conference, the Mental Health Equity Cohort, and the BIPOC Clergy Retreat.

At the heart of Rev. Dr. Perkins’ vision is a desire to make mental health and wellness tangible for everyday people. She hopes NBA’s work will reach not only those who participate in retreats, cohorts, or conferences, but also lay people, caregivers, people in recovery, those experiencing trauma, and anyone who wants to know that their wellness matters. “If you do not pour into yourself and if you don’t allow for wellness, it’s really hard to serve others and to be there for other people if you are always on empty,” she said.

For Rev. Dr. Perkins, this work is ultimately about creating spaces where people can flourish together. “When we have our events, we want you there. But how can you take it back and make it tangible and real in your community and the context in which you practice, worship, and fellowship with others?”