Laura is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer  of the Center for Cultural Interchange with offices in Chicago and Madrid.  A native of Colorado, she spent her college years backpacking and skiing, learning appreciate the magnificence of the Rocky Mountains. After earning a degree in art and literature at the University of Colorado, she moved to San Francisco in order to be closer to the Pacific Ocean and the splendors of the California coast. There, she began a career in international education and became the national director of one of the United States' largest student exchange organizations, where she worked for several years.

Believing that it was essential for her personal growth and career path to live abroad and experience other languages and cultures first-hand, Laura moved to Madrid, Spain in 1991. In 1995 she co-founded the Fundación por el Futuro in Madrid, to further promote international understanding and awareness of environmental needs.