Influential Women Highlights Karla R. Enderle, MHA, RRT: Transforming Healthcare Leadership Through Service
Karla R. Enderle, MHA, RRT, LSSGB, VHA-CM, is a purpose-driven healthcare leader whose career reflects a rare blend of compassion, clinical expertise, and transformative leadership. With nearly two decades of experience spanning respiratory care, healthcare administration, and high-reliability organizational leadership, Karla has become a trusted voice in shaping safer, smarter, and more equitable systems of care—especially for America’s Veterans.
Karla’s leadership journey began in 2012 on the frontlines of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where she discovered a deep calling to serve others. That calling was put to the ultimate test during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she led a frontline respiratory care team through the first year of one of the most demanding chapters in modern medicine. Under immense pressure, she brought courage, clarity, and unshakeable commitment to patient outcomes. Her leadership during this time earned her multiple distinctions, including the 2023 Respiratory Therapy Practitioner of the Year for the Northwest District and a Military Challenge Coin from the 11th VA Secretary in recognition of her extraordinary service.
Since then, Karla has expanded her impact beyond bedside care. She now partners with executive and clinical leaders to drive healthcare transformation, strengthen operational systems, elevate frontline voices, and build cultures where teams feel supported, valued, and empowered to thrive. Her initiatives consistently advance high reliability, psychological safety, and sustainable change, ensuring that quality care and compassionate service remain central to every organizational improvement effort.
Karla holds active memberships in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Board for Respiratory Care, the American Association for Respiratory Care, and the American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. These affiliations reflect her commitment to professional growth, collaboration, and advancing best practices across the healthcare industry.
What sets Karla apart is her ability to combine strategic insight with humanity. She approaches challenges with resilience—focusing on what she can control, leading with integrity, and moving deliberately with purpose. Her leadership is driven by core values of family, connection, laughter, and unwavering determination, making her not only a respected healthcare executive but also an inspiring mentor for rising professionals.
Karla attributes her success to a lifelong commitment to service, inspired by her mother, a nurse whose compassion and dedication shaped her early understanding of caring for others. This foundation guided her into healthcare and ultimately to the VA, where she discovered her purpose in serving those who have served the nation. Her most defining professional growth occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which reinforced her belief in teamwork, clear communication, and perseverance—and became a catalyst for her transition into healthcare transformation and executive leadership.
The best career advice Karla has received is to “give yourself grace.” Early in her leadership journey, a mentor emphasized that grace is not weakness—it is a discipline. Embracing this guidance has allowed Karla to lead with steadiness in high-pressure situations, approach mistakes as learning opportunities, and model empathy and intentionality in all interactions. She advises young women entering healthcare to seek mentorship, focus on solutions rather than problems, step into leadership roles confidently, and advocate for themselves while staying curious and determined.
Karla also identifies opportunities in healthcare’s evolving landscape, particularly in technology, culture, and system redesign. She sees digital innovation, high-reliability practices, and patient-centered care models as key drivers for improved access, efficiency, and outcomes, while simultaneously strengthening staff engagement and organizational culture. At the core of her work and personal life are integrity, compassion, resilience, and purpose—values that guide her decisions, leadership style, and commitment to elevating both people and systems.
Through her leadership, advocacy, and unwavering focus on impact, Karla R. Enderle continues to exemplify principled, people-centered, and purpose-driven healthcare leadership. Her career is a testament to what is possible when passion meets perseverance, and she stands as a dedicated advocate for frontline clinicians, Veterans, and the next generation of healthcare leaders.
Learn More about Karla R. Enderle:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/karla-enderle
Influential Women
Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.
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