Meet Kara Wurtz: Chaos Coordinator, Data Translator, and Community Builder
When Kara Wurtz talks about her job, she doesn’t default to the buzzwords that typically follow a title in financial analytics. Instead, she describes herself as a “prophesizer of the future” and a “chaos controller”—two phrases that perfectly capture the spirit and strategy she brings to her work. At Clayco, she sits at the intersection of operational leadership and data, turning numbers into narratives and predictions that empower her team to move forward with clarity, even when the construction world feels anything but predictable. “When everything looks like a bomb just went off,” she says with a laugh, “I try to help everyone stay level-headed and see into the future."
Kara’s love for finance has always been clear, but her path through the profession has taken her across industries—from tech at Hewlett Packard, to rural broadband development, to the nonprofit world, and finally, back home to construction. “There’s something about construction,” she reflects, “because no month is the same. I think being able to try to control that chaos just kind of speaks to my soul.”
That need to find—and offer—structure in unpredictable spaces is a throughline not just in Kara’s career, but also in her leadership style. At Clayco, one of her most defining professional experiences came in 2019 when she was tasked with revamping the company’s leadership meeting format. “We had leaders from across the organization coming together, all of them incredibly busy,” she says. “I had to figure out how to make the time feel productive—how to turn all of this input and data into something usable that would drive real results.”
Outside of the office, Kara brings the same focus and passion to her family and her community. She’s mom to two daughters, ages nine and three, who are “just a blast” to explore St. Louis with—from picnics and dancing at outdoor concerts to local museum adventures. “We are stupid lucky in St. Louis,” she says, describing the rich family-friendly culture woven into the city’s parks, institutions, and seasonal events.
And when she’s not in mom mode, Kara’s free time still circles back to her community—but not in the way you might expect. “I used to be on city council for Kirkwood,” she says, “and now I try to get involved with local groups focused on transportation, affordable housing, or just improving quality of life for families like mine.” Volunteering isn’t something she separates from her personal interests—it is her hobby. “Some people have book clubs,” she says. “I go to city council meetings.” What draws her in is the tangible impact: the chance to shape the city her daughters will grow up in, and to be part of solutions for the people who live there. “It gives me a completely different lens for experiencing my own community,” she explains. “And it helps me build something lasting—not just for me, but for them too.”
Leadership, for Kara, is about listening well and leading collaboratively. It’s something she’s grown into across every chapter of her career. “Collaboration is everything,” she says. “Whether it’s a professional decision or something as simple as what to cook for dinner, I try to make the people around me feel like their voice matters in the decision-making process.” But with that collaboration comes an even deeper responsibility: to truly listen. Kara shared that one of her greatest leadership lessons came during her time on city council, when she realized that public complaints often carried deeper messages if you were really listening. “Sometimes it’s not just about what people are saying. It’s about what they’re trying to say—and what you can fix that goes beyond the surface problem."
That reflective approach extends to her views on mentorship and legacy, especially among women leaders. “I’ve seen a shift,” she says. “Early in my career, it felt like there weren’t many women reaching back to mentor others. Now, it feels like more and more women are stepping up to support each other. And that support—that normalization of women in leadership—is crucial.”
So, what does Kara recommend for other Forum members? A St. Louis staycation with a twist. “Start at Tower Grove Farmer’s Market, head to Forest Park for the museums, have dinner in the Central West End, and wrap it all up with a show at the Symphony or the Muny,” she says. “It’s the ultimate St. Louis day—cultural, restful, and a reminder of how lucky we are to live here.”
Connect with her on LinkedIn here.