Closing Speaker 

Laura Deisley is Managing Consultant at Walker Deisley Strategic Consulting, a design and innovation catalyst for independent schools and public school districts. She is founder of Lab Atlanta 2.0, a Georgia nonprofit exploring iterations of the ground-breaking Lab Atlanta school model and designing equitable opportunities for youth to gain civic leadership and social innovation skills.

 Ms. Deisley brings to her work over 30 years of experience in small and large corporate environments, micro school development, and public and private school strategy and innovation. Most recently, she spent 12 years on the leadership team at The Lovett School serving as the Director of Strategic Innovation and the designer/founder of Lab Atlanta, an innovative city semester school model for public and independent high school students. 

Ms. Deisley serves on the Board of Directors and as CEO of Collective Learning Academy, a community-engaged micro school serving students with disabilities; on the Executive Committee and Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Board of Directors at Hope Atlanta, a hunger and housing nonprofit leader serving metro Atlanta; and, as founding partner of Atlanta K12 Design Challenge, a design thinking consultancy that has served Atlanta area schools for 10 years. Previously, Ms. Deisley served on the Alumni Council and the Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council at her alma mater, Wake Forest University, and on the Board of Trustees for Northside United Methodist Church.

Bringing a unique voice and energy to conversations about learning, design, and change, Ms. Deisley is recognized for her strategic visioning, extensive network, and passion for diversity, equity, and belonging.