Manage HR Magazine: Specials Magazine

Karla Wagner is Chief People Officer at Fenton, the social impact communications agency ranked #1 for nonprofit PR by O’Dwyer’s in 2026. A member of the executive leadership team, she develops people and organizational strategies that align talent, culture, business priorities and mission. Her career spans big-box and luxury retail, consumer and service businesses, global communications and social impact, giving her a distinctive perspective on leading people across industries and through periods of growth and change. At Fenton, she oversees talent strategy, organizational culture, employee engagement, leadership and workforce development, performance management, learning, and organizational change. Connecting Talent Strategy to Business Priorities Wagner places client service at the center of Fenton’s talent strategy. She helps employees understand why their work matters and how it contributes to client outcomes. Her approach develops communities of practitioners who care deeply about their work and act as stewards of impact. To shape that strategy, Wagner considers how the agency operates and pursues profitability. Her close partnership with Fenton CEO Valarie De La Garza connects workforce priorities with the organization’s wider direction, enabling business performance and mission to advance together. While Fenton’s mission and vision remain constant, Wagner keeps its approach to people management flexible. She listens to employees, uses workforce data to inform decisions and responds to changing human dynamics and client environments without losing sight of the agency’s core values. That flexibility is particularly important in high-stakes social impact communications. Technical skills alone are not enough when advising nonprofits, foundations and purpose-driven organizations addressing complex issues. Employees also need judgment, empathy and the ability to navigate complexity. “Strong performance management, feedback and develo