She is originally from Athens, Georgia and holds a BBA in Economics from the University of Georgia. In addition, she holds a MA and PhD in Economics from The University of Tennessee. Prior to graduate school Laura worked as a business consultant for Ernst & Young, specializing in executive compensation determination. Laura’s research interests include for-profit higher education, school finance reform, local and state level tax and expenditure analyses, welfare policy, and environmental economics. She also has a keen interest in international field experience work, both for students and herself, and served as a Fulbright Scholar in Kosovo in 2014.