Laura Ward is the East Meets West Foundation’s (EMW) Development Officer in Oakland, CA. EMW is the largest development agency working in Vietnam and has been providing effective solutions to difficult development problems since its founding in 1988. Laura works with EMW’s grassroots programs in health, education and clean water, helping to improve lives as well as build capacity for people in Vietnam, especially those in impoverished communities.

After receiving a B.A. in English from The College of Wooster, Laura taught English in Poland. After receiving her M.A. from the University of Toronto and an International M.B.A. from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Laura worked in marketing for EchoStar Communications (DISH Network) and then began her international career by working overseas for Modi Enterprises in India. There, she was part of a business development and market research team that opened the Modi Apollo International Institute in New Delhi. She has also served as the Marketing Advisor for the Egyptian Ministry of Health’s National Training Institute in Cairo, Egypt, a private-public partnership between Pfizer and Project HOPE.

Laura lives in San Francisco where she enjoys swimming, tennis, and singing in the choir at the world-famous Grace Cathedral.