Karla Dial has a long unofficial history with CitizenLink, and a short official one: She was a contributing editor to Citizen magazine for 10 years before joining the staff of Focus on the Family full-time in January 2012. During her decade spent as a freelance journalist, she served five years as the managing editor of School Reform News, a monthly newspaper published by The Heartland Institute. After earning her journalism degree from New Mexico State University, she cut her teeth learning how to multitask as a sports and features reporter at The Desert Sun, a daily newspaper in Palm Springs, Calif., run by the Gannett Corp. In her free time, she can usually be found at the gym or watching movies with her husband. She still contributes freelance pieces to women’s fitness and personal-finance magazines as often as time permits.