Laura Scher

Laura Scher is co-founder, chairperson and chief executive officer of Working Assets, a mobile and credit card company dedicated to building a world that is more just, humane and environmentally sustainable. Laura co-founded Working Assets in 1985 on the belief that building a business and building a better world are not mutually exclusive. Under Laura's leadership, the company has donated over $50 million to progressive nonprofit groups such as Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Watch, Rainforest Action Network and Oxfam America. As CEO, Laura has helped Working Assets grow to more than $100 million in annual revenue. Laura is a lecturer at Stanford University, teaching "Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship" at the undergraduate level. Over the past 5 years, she and her colleagues have created a course series and a minor for the next generation of social entrepreneurs. She has authored chapters in several books, including The Business of Changing the World edited by Marc Benioff and Hands On! 33 More Things Every Girl Should Know edited by Suzanne Harper. Laura serves on the boards of eScrip, SalesForce.com's Foundation, Lightfull Foods, and the Rosenberg Foundation. Laura gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Yale and studied international economics at the Institute for International Studies in Geneva. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Laura lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, daughter and son. She enjoys traveling internationally with her family.