Laura Bacon

As a principal of investments at Omidyar Network, Laura focuses on the policy and advocacy strategy for the global Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative. Laura brings experience in international development as well as research on public sector leadership and government accountability and transparency. She is based in London.

Prior to working at Omidyar Network, Laura served as associate director of a Princeton University research program, Innovations for Successful Societies. There, she managed the team of researchers, editors, and administrative staff, oversaw the development of 80 case studies on government reform in challenging contexts, led outreach and external collaborations, and helped design and drive the program’s strategy and action plan. Laura served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger from 2002 to 2005 and was a research fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, where she managed research projects and co-authored several works, including the National Leadership Index: A National Study of Confidence in Leadership and a chapter in the book Women and Leadership: The State of Play and Strategies for Change.

Laura has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard College and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She also served as a technical adviser to the Liberian government’s Ministry of Gender and Development, performed as a cellist in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and was a White House Fellow from 2009 to 2010.