Meet Laura

My husband, Christian, and I moved to Falls Church City from Arlington with our four boys in 2009 to take advantage of the city’s highly regarded school system.  Before that, I was the Executive Director of Student Life at George Washington University, where I also received my bachelor's and master's degrees.  I was born and raised in St. Louis, so I am a die-hard Cardinals fan (but our boys are Nats fans!)

Our family has been active in the community.  Christian has coached many, many seasons of rec flag football and basketball and we both served on the Board of the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League.  We have hosted yearly fundraisers at our home for the MEH Middle School PTA and provide philanthropic support to the Falls Church Education Foundation, Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts, Mary Riley Styles Library, Falls Church Homeless Shelter, Aurora House, Welcoming Falls Church, Tinner Hill Foundation, and Meridian's All Night Grad.  Our two oldest sons attend college in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  We also have a son who is a freshman at Meridian and our youngest son is a seventh grader at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. 

Proven Leadership

• Worked with Superintendent, School Board colleagues, FCCPS staff, City Council and General Government to fund and deliver the state of the art, LEED Gold Certified Meridian High School on time and on budget.

Thoughtful Approach

As an elected member of Falls Church City School Board, I learned the importance of listening to all members of the community to understand all sides of an issue. I served in a leadership role for three of my four years (Vice Chair in 2021 and Chair in 2022 and 2023) and worked hard to improve outreach to the community. Taking an idea from our constituents, the Chair and I instituted monthly “office hours” at the end of the pandemic. We held the sessions at a different local restaurant every month to meet with community members- a practice that I kept while I was Chair and one that still continues today. While on the School Board, my proudest achievement was working closely with our superintendent to deliver our state-of-the-art new Meridian high school, on time and under budget. That building was made possible thanks to voters approving a bond referendum, commercial development on the old high school site, and careful fiscal planning by the City Council and General Government staff. Truly, it was a community-wide effort, and I’m proud the dedication plaque at the entrance bears my name.