Laura grew up in North Carolina and attended Appalachian State and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education. She later attended University of Maryland, University of San Diego and National-Louis University where she earned a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in K-12 reading.

Her husband was an officer in the military which led her to teach in several states and overseas in England. During her teaching career, she taught in many settings with diverse populations where her passion was helping students in their struggles to become successful readers and writers. This goal inspired her to become trained in many initiatives that support student growth in reading and writing; such as Reading Recovery at Ohio State University and the National Writing Project at George Mason University. These studies led her to become involved in training and coaching teachers to implement efficient, effective reading and writing strategies in their classrooms.

She moved to Charlotte in 2017 where she became involved in the HELPS organization as a volunteer tutor through her church and went on to join the staff in 2021.

Outside of academics, Laura enjoys reading and gardening, but her greatest joy is spending time with her grandchildren.