Senior Director – Business Engagement
Laura Asiala is the Senior Director of Business Engagement for the Council for the Great Lakes Region. Passionate about the power of business to help solve the world’s most intransigent problems, she has extensive experience leading efforts to attract more participation of companies to contribute to global, sustainable development, through their people and their work.
Laura has significant international business experience and retired after nearly 30 years with the Dow Corning Corporation. With roles in finance, marketing, human resources, and corporate communications, she ultimately served as the company’s director of Corporate Communications and Corporate Citizenship (Corporate Social Responsibility).
She served on the Board of Directors for Net Impact, a network of students and professionals around the world committed to using their private-sector careers for a more just and sustainable world (400+ chapters). She also served on the Advisory Council for the Sustainable Innovation MBA Program at the University of Vermont, which has been named one of the top ‘Green’ MBA programs in the world. She writes for The Global Engagement Forum: Online and is ranked a top influencer on social media for Corporate Social Responsibility. She is a sought-after speaker and facilitator at convenings including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Sustainability Summit, the Net Impact Conference, and TEDx Traverse City, among others.
Laura is a native of Michigan and has lived most of her life within the Great Lakes region. She has a Master of Science in Organization Development from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Alma College (Alma, Michigan).
