Our Team

Laura has lived and worked in Baltimore for 25 years and is the mother of three teenage daughters. Her career has been primarily in education in the public and private sectors, most recently as Chief Program Officer for the Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. There, she led the national field operations working with middle and high schools across the country.

Previously, as a senior consultant for a public sector management consulting firm, Laura worked nationally on education reform projects with school systems, state departments of education, and non-profit organizations.

Laura worked in the central office of the Baltimore City Public School System for 11 years, where she held several positions–including Deputy Chief of Staff, overseeing major reform initiatives. She also served as an Area Executive Officer for 32 schools and as the Executive Director the Office of New and Charter Schools.

She has served as a Senior Fellow with the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and as a member of the Maryland State Board of Education.

Laura began her career in education as a Teach for America corps member, and taught elementary and middle school in New Orleans and Baltimore.

Laura received her BA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore. She holds active professional certifications for teacher, administrator, and superintendent. Laura is the author of several books for children.

Steve Rohde
Deputy Director for Resource and Referral Services

Steve has been a preschool classroom teacher, a child care center director, a child care specialist with municipal and county licensing programs, a trainer, and a county and state administrator for licensing. Steve received both his BA and master’s degrees in Early Childhood Education from Towson University. He was an adjunct faculty member at Stevenson University for five years, and is President Emeritus of the board of directors for Child Care Aware of America. Steve and his wife of over 40 years have two daughters.