Carla Jo Maltas joined the Music Education faculty at Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri in the fall of 2006. Prior to coming to UCM, Dr. Maltas taught general music education at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Maltas also taught K-12 vocal and general music for fifteen years in the state of Nebraska. Maltas holds Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Music Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and completed a Ph.D. in Kodaly Music Education from the University of Oklahoma. Maltas is a certified Kodaly educator and holds a Master's certificate in Orff-Schulwerk from the University of Memphis. Maltas has served as a curriculum writer, clinician and researcher for arts integration projects in Nebraska and Oklahoma. She has made state, regional and national presentations for music education professional organizations.

Maltas' research interests include rural music education, the sociology and mentoring of music teachers, folk music research, multicultural music, arts integration and the implementation of Orff and Kodaly methodologies. She is the chair of the Essig committee, and is working to reinvigorate the collection and to make it more visible to the public. Her articles have appeared in the Music Educator's Journal, Orff Echo, Southern Journal of Music Education and other state education publications. Maltas was a founding board member of the Great Plains Orff chapter, and has served on state committees and boards for the American Choral Directors Association, National Association of Music Educators and National Education Association. She is an active performer and church musician.