Laura Ballek Cole
Program Director
Laura Ballek Cole has had a fortunate and interesting career by following two basic questions: "How might we ensure that relationships between people and systems are equitable?" and "How might we heal the relationship between humanity and the planet?” This lens has led her from public education, working as a tutor in Miami and then as a 7th-grade science teacher in rural Texas, to social entrepreneurship, helping to found a Boston-based nonprofit that leverages technology and community organizing to increase civic engagement.
Along the way she has curated an eccentric skill stack: piano accompaniment, theater direction, nutrition, Spanish, front-end web development, graphic design, pedagogy, community organizing, meeting facilitation, grant writing, and data analysis. As a lifelong learner and weirdo, she is eager to continue pursuing her curiosity. Laura aims to use her talents and love of people to facilitate meaningful connections, foster creative expression, and explore new ways of existing in the world.
Laura is the team's 2020-2021 yearlong fellow and Program Director.
