Laura S. Thrall, Vice Chair, brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector to her consulting engagements, roles as both a corporate and nonprofit board director, and university lecturer. 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 acted 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 a founding board member of the Illinois Partners for Human Services (IPHS) and the Back Office Cooperative (BOC). She served on the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, and as a board director for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, America’s Charities, and St. Clement School. She currently serves as board director for Smithbucklin, and as Vice Chair of the Board at Melwood.
Thrall was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the University of Chicago’s Leadership & Society Initiative (23/24), and 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 Atlanta, Chicago, D.C. and London.
