Laura Deaton

She/Her

Mentor | Advocate | Gardener

Experiences Laura brings into her work

Laura nurtures fertile ground. Whether working in her home garden or mentoring our teams, she’s always sowing seeds and fostering growth. Driven by a passion for helping people, the planet, and the nonprofit sector thrive, she leverages her legal background, teaching experience and three decades of nonprofit leadership to work together with teams to build capacity and generate measurable impact. She considers herself truly fortunate to be able to spend her days joyfully helping our projects build high-performing teams, launch new programs, and scale their impact.

Before joining Multiplier in 2013, Laura directed national policy research for an independent think tank that provides rigorous research, insight, and communications to advance LGBTQ equality and opportunity. Laura has a Juris Doctorate from Duke University School of Law and a Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Certificate from Harvard Business School. Earlier career experiences include designing and teaching a Master’s level nonprofit leadership course, leading the formation of a place-based nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty; helping save two struggling civil rights organizations, serving as managing director of a women’s healthcare center; running a regional symphony orchestra; heading corporate communications for a Silicon Valley tech start-up; and serving as a senior leader for several disability-related and youth mentoring organizations.

What brings Laura joy outside of work

Laura lives in Bellingham, Washington and spends her free time with family and her rescued super-mutts Griffin and Karma. When she isn’t busy guiding Multiplier’s many amazing teams, she can be found working in her garden, forest bathing in the cedars, enjoying PNW oysters on the half shell, solving cryptic crosswords, watching Jeopardy, or engaging in a lively game of multilingual scrabble.