Get to know Laura a little more…

Laura has been and advocate and community leader her entire life. From her first nonprofit board experience as a student member of the Tacoma Youth Symphony board while in high school to being the drum major for her school band, to President of the Orchestra at Portland State University while in grad school - she has always fused leadership with her musical and creative pursuits.

That fusion of creativity and leadership culminated in founding Vibe of Portland in 2007 where she continues to be the Executive Director to this day. Her leadership is evident in guiding Vibe, an organization that provides access to visual art and musical opportunities to children, through the pandemic with her team to have an even bigger creative footprint in Portland post pandemic.

Also during the pandemic when everything was so uncertain, she started Aura Creative Consulting, a small business, to take her nonprofit leadership skills to support other creatives and organizations with the knowledge and tools she acquired while starting a nonprofit organization from scratch. Her clients include Art School KC just outside Kansas City Missouri, Americans for the Arts, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Montavilla Jazz, Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble and Oregon Repertory Singers Youth Choir.

Because of her activism and passion for equitable education and specifically access to Arts Education, Laura was part of the City of Portland’s Arts Education and Access Fund Oversight Committee from 2017 until 2022 when she had to step down due to term limits. She chaired the committee from 2019-2022 working to standardize reporting and communication and add 17 new people to the committee during her tenure. All while fighting for continued transparency for where arts dollars are being spent in schools and in the community.

Here is some more history of Laura so you can see how community and the arts have shaped her leadership.

Growing up- 

• Grew up in Puyallup Washington. Deeply involved in music and music education. Encouraged by her family to pursue music - Laura also had a STRONG music educational support system K-12. She had TWO music teachers at my elementary school + a band teacher. Laura had incredible music educators all through school in her public education and with private music lessons and involvement with the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association.

Education-

• Western Washington University in Bellingham - BA in Music, Minor in Anthropology. 

• Portland State University - MM Music Performance Oboe & English Horn. Assistantship with the PSU Orchestra - idea for Vibe started here while in grad school. 

Associations & Awards- 

• Vibe of Portland - 2005 - current

• Willamette Week Give Guide Skidmore Prize Winner - 2010

• PTA (James John Elementary PTA Vice President 2014-2020)

• Arts Education and Access Fund Oversight Committee Member from 2017-2022 

• Chair of Arts Oversight Committee from 2019-2022

• St Johns Booster Business Association. Member since 2019. 

• St Johns Boosters Business Assoc. Board member 2023-current

• Oregon Sinfonietta - volunteer musician (oboe) 2022-current

Motto-  Dream. Plan. Do. (I literally have the t-shirt)

COMMUNITY-CONNECTION-COLLABORATION