Laura's path to the travel industry started when she moved from Florida (where she grew up) to spend her summers as a raft guide and kayak instructor in the mountains of North Carolina. Upon graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in mechanical engineering, she was offered an engineering job but also offered a job as a kayak guide in Costa Rica. To her parents' dismay (at least in that moment), she headed to Costa Rica and never looked back. After a few years of piecing together seasonal employment with extended personal travel, Laura moved into her first full-time travel position as a tour guide in Central and South America. After more than 5 years in the field, Laura transitioned into an office role as the Program Director for National Geographic Expeditions, overseeing their portfolio of active trips. Before joining Nat Hab, Laura took a detour into public health to support North Carolina's response to COVID-19 as the state's contact tracing program manager.

As Nat Hab's Head of Field Team since 2024, Laura supports a team of approximately 300 Expedition Leaders and field staff. In her free time, Laura can usually be found on a river, trail or ski slope with her husband and their son. She also loves to travel and spent two years exploring the United States with her family, living full-time in a 25-foot trailer. They have since settled back into their home in the small mountain town of Bryson City, North Carolina.