Laura Woid

I serve as president and founder of the art district and vice president and co-founder of our farmer's market. My typical day involves working with artists and farmers, handling marketing and outreach, responding to people reaching out to us, managing media relations, and strategic planning. I've been involved in numerous leadership roles throughout my career. I just finished a term on the Museum of Contemporary Art board, and I was on the Mayor's Commission of Aging, with that term ending last year. I've intentionally stepped down from some roles to groom other people, especially women, for those positions so I can move up to other kinds of roles. Both of my nonprofits are women-led, which I've done purposely, and I've groomed and mentored women along the way. About 10 years ago, I founded the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, another nonprofit to fight offshore drilling. My passion for localism and community building comes from my grandparents, who took me to farmers markets as a kid and taught me about true localism. My parents instilled that in me, and now I'm doing that with my own children.