Laura Cox Kaplan

Corporate & Non-Profit Board Member and former Partner-in-Charge of Public Policy, PwC

Bio Current as of September 11, 2017

A corporate and non-profit board member, former corporate executive and adviser, Laura has more than 24 years of executive level experience in public policy, communications, corporate governance, and stakeholder engagement in the public, private and non-profit sectors. As the former Principal-in-Charge of Government, Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy for global professional services and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, Laura spent a decade on the executive management team of PwC and almost 12 years managing PwC’s public policy engagement strategy, which coordinates public policy strategies across more than 150 countries. She also advised a broad range of c-suite level clients, and developed significant experience building coalitions and partnerships to advance issues and policies.

Laura created an integrated public policy strategy at PwC aimed at increasing gender diversity in public policy and elected office. She also created and cultivated unique partnerships with non-profit organizations to further PwC’s efforts in the women’s political engagement space. The Public Policy Intern Leaders program and curriculum she developed at PwC is recognized for combining the latest thinking in public policy and political engagement with PwC’s approach to leadership development. Laura also led and served in senior leadership positions at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Center for Audit Quality.

Currently, Laura holds a corporate board directorship at CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), and is the Board Co-chair of Running Start, which aims to get women in high school and college to consider future careers in elected office. She consults with and serves on a number of other non-profit boards focused on helping young women develop their leadership potential. She chairs the Women in Public Service Project Advisory Committee at the Wilson Center, and serves on advisory committees at the Bush School of Government & Public Policy at Texas A&M University and the Women & Politics Institute at American University. Currently, Laura is teaching a course on women’s leadership development at American University. Laura has served as a Global Ambassador for Vital Voices, as well as on the Launch Committee for Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” Foundation.

Laura writes a regular blog and has been published in Fortune Magazine, The Huffington Post, World Economic Forum Blog, US News & World Report, among others, and speaks before a range of audiences from c-suite executives and corporate boards to students and community leaders. She is especially focused on inspiring and motivating the next generation to pursue experiences and careers in public policy and civic engagement.

Prior to joining PwC, Laura served in senior positions at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she focused on the legislative and regulatory response to corporate governance and accounting failures in the late 1990s. She spent almost 10 years on Capitol Hill as a senior communications director and strategist.

In 2016, Laura received the Alice Paul Alumnae award from American University for her work on women’s political engagement. In 2015, Laura was named one of Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington. In 2014, Laura received a “Trailblazer Award” from the American Law Journal for her work in public and regulatory policy.

Laura received a Master’s degree from American University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Laura is a native of Rising Star, Texas. She and her husband Joel live with their son and daughter in Chevy Chase, MD.