Areas of expertise

• Instructional and leadership coaching
• Scale and spread of personalized, competency-based learning practices
• Rural and remote learning structures and supports
• Reflective processes and protocols

As senior director of teaching and learning, Laura partners with learning communities across the country to design and implement systemic change through personalized, competency-based learning. She brings more than 25 years of experience in education, working in diverse roles to help educators and leaders create learning environments where every student has agency to thrive. Every day Laura reflects on her values and nourishes her vision.

My work is grounded in my values: passion, empathy, trust, continuous improvement, systems thinking and harmony. I support leaders and educators in building capacity, reimagining systems and scaling practices that prioritize the needs, strengths and voices of learners.

Before joining KnowledgeWorks, Laura served in various roles that spanned rural, remote and urban learning contexts, focusing on instructional leadership, coaching and systemic transformation. Regardless of setting, her passion for learners has remained her guiding beacon. She believes that courageous, human-centered questions can spark authentic learning opportunities for all learners. Aside from education and systems thinking, Laura enjoys outdoor recreation, live music, time with her friends and family, morning routine, CrossFit and traveling.

Featured work

Laura is a systems innovator and thought leader in personalized, competency-based education. She has worked alongside districts, state leaders and community partners to design conditions that allow student-centered practices to take root and grow. Laura’s ability to get to the “why” behind transformation practices is essential to collective efficacy. She is a frequent facilitator and presenter, helping audiences connect big-picture vision to practical strategies.

An Inside Look at One State’s Journey to Transform its School System: Laura shares approaches for expanding personalized, competency-based learning from pilot programs to district-wide and statewide initiatives.

Leadership and the Portrait of a Leader: Laura discusses her own leadership journey and what it takes to be an effective educational leader in a time of great change and uncertainty.

Standard Operating Procedures: Laura breaks down what standard oeprating procedures are and why they’re key to student agency.

Community Members Help Develop Portrait of a Graduate: In this article, Laura shares her experience facilitating a collaborative meeting to gather input on the key attributes that will inform Pipestone Area Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate.