Carla Edwards served as International Program Manager at the South Carolina Department of Education before joining Commerce’s Business Services Division as Manager of the International Trade Program, bringing with her a vast international experience.
She was born in Angola, grew up in Portugal, where she attended school and graduated with a major in International Relations with a minor in Economics and a post-bach in International Trade. As part of her studies, Carla spent a year at the University of Würzburg, in Germany.
She served as Market and Trade Consultant for Portugal’s Trade & Investment Agency in Helsinki, Finland and in Stockholm, Sweden, supporting the internationalization of Portuguese companies through exports.
This is Carla’s second role within the South Carolina Department of Commerce. She served as Economic Development Manager shortly after moving to the United States.
In her role at Commerce, Carla provides services to both new and established South Carolina exporters, who wish to grow their sales internationally. She also serves as South Carolina Director for the State Trade Expansion grant program.
Carla lives in Columbia with her husband and three children.