Laura Walsh

As LINC’s Chief Program Officer, Laura ensures that LINC offers high-quality programming that is responsive and intentionally tailored to meet the needs of LINC’s target communities. She guides the program team towards best literacy practices aligned with the science of reading, and leads with empathy and equity so that they may use their talents to their best capacity. Laura is an experienced manager of educational programming that specializes in early literacy, non-profit management, and staff development. She is also a trained literacy specialist that received her Master’s in Special Education and Literacy from St. John’s University. Laura is intimately aware of the literacy crisis plaguing New York City and has worked as a Program Manager for the Literacy Trust, training over 150 public schools in NYC on a 1:1 reading intervention program called Reading Rescue. Laura was the Senior Manager of Elementary Programs at DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI), and went on to become the founding Dean of Culture of DREAM’s newest elementary school in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Through all of her work, Laura has been committed to a mission of eradicating illiteracy through quality programming as a pathway to equity. When Laura is not formally working to eradicate illiteracy in New York City, she is home building the foundations of literacy with her two children, who inspire her everyday to work towards this vital mission. In her spare time, Laura can be found training for her next race, having completed fifteen full marathons to date!