Laura’s 20-year career in education has been inspired by a belief in the civic mission of schools. After teaching middle and high school in New York City and Boston, Laura held a variety of leadership positions at the global non-profit Facing History and Ourselves, where she developed innovative classroom resources, designed transformative learning experiences for educators, and led strategic partnerships. She writes about history, current events and education for publications including the New York Times, Educational Leadership, Greater Good Magazine, and Social Education.

A first-generation college student, Laura graduated from Wellesley College and later received graduate degrees in literature and history from Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. 

Anna began her journey as an educator in 2010, serving English language learners in elementary and middle school. She worked with students in Boston and Denver, teaching ELA and English Language Development. Anna believes in leveraging interest-based learning to nurture the creativity of all students. After several years in Colorado, Anna relocated to Atlanta where she served at a charter school as Curriculum Director in Social Studies and Language Arts. Anna holds an MA in Teaching Literacy and ESOL from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from Moody Bible Institute. Anna is passionate about supporting educators as they delve deeper into their practice, cultivating classrooms of life-long learners.

There's hardly anything more rewarding than witnessing curiosity bloom, perseverance pay off, and a sense of belonging and purpose grow among youth and families, which is why I feel thrilled and privileged to support Salem's middle school pilot. For more than 10 years, I've walked alongside youth and families through a wide variety of roles within the Massachusetts education ecosystem: from serving as a City Year corps member in Dorchester to teaching math in Lawrence to fostering holistic youth development at Tenacity in Boston. I also bring experience from building a community-based startup focused on youth employment, as well as coordinating collective impact efforts among youth-and-family serving nonprofits in Boston. Matching my personal and professional pursuits, I hold a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Amherst College and a macro-oriented Masters of Social Work from Boston College.