Laura Thrall brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector to her consulting engagements and roles as both a corporate and nonprofit board director. A four-time CEO, Thrall previously served as CEO for D.C. based Epilepsy Foundation of America, CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, and YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago. In each of her leadership roles, Thrall led transformations of established legacy operations to more efficiently deliver measurable impact for their constituencies.

In addition to her staff leadership positions, Thrall has served in a variety of civic and board leadership roles. She served as an appointed member on two Illinois Governor’s Commissions, chaired the Chicago Alliance for Collaborative Effort, and was founding member of Illinois Partners for Human Services. Dedicated to the healthcare community, she served on the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, the Cerebrovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. She currently serves as board director for SmithBucklin Corporation, and as Vice Chair of the Board at Melwood, a large Mid-Atlantic nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities are fully included in the workplace and in the community.

Laura holds a Master’s degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University in Chicago. She and her partner Kevin Booth relocated to Annapolis, MD in 2012 and have five adult children between them residing in DC, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.