Laura Donnelly

Laura Donnelly is the Executive Director of the Harris Social Impact Fellowship. She oversees HSIF's programmatic direction, growth strategy, and institutional partnerships. As co-architect of the fellowship's curriculum, she collaborates with faculty to design the Fellows' academic coursework and applied training, while guiding their career strategy and work placements. In this role, Laura works closely with senior Harris leadership, policy experts and practitioners, and the broader University community to cultivate a new generation of emerging leaders committed to social impact.

Before joining Harris, Laura served as Director of Teaching and Learning at UChicago Professional, where she led a team of learning designers to develop world-class certificates and courses for senior executives and professionals. She spearheaded initiatives advancing academic innovation and learning strategy across UChicago while managing a large portfolio of professional non-degree programs with a focus on scalability and sustainability. She also partnered with faculty, instructors, and industry experts to translate academic research into high-impact applied learning opportunities.

Laura holds an undergraduate degree in classical philosophy and religion (MA Honors) from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, and master's degrees from Emory University and Yale University in ethics, politics, and religion. Her research explored the intersection of religion, politics, and ethics, with a particular focus on the social foundations, economic conditions, and moral fabric needed for people to flourish in their communities.

Her upbringing in Belfast, Northern Ireland fueled these academic pursuits and shaped a lifelong investment in understanding what people and societies emerging from conflict and trauma need to rebuild. Her commitment to public service, education, and leadership deepened when she was selected for the prestigious Washington Ireland Program for Service and Leadership, a post-conflict peacebuilding initiative uniting emerging leaders from across Ireland and Northern Ireland. She then served as a Senate intern for Senator Chris Dodd, supporting the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions during the drafting of the Affordable Health Choices Act, and later worked on Senator Chris Murphy's Connecticut campaign, focusing on environmental and sustainability initiatives. Building on this experience, she worked with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in advancing global education. 

"My passion is to help people attain their learning goals and support their academic and professional endeavors. As a proud first-generation student and immigrant, I believe in the democratic right, value, and power of education to transform lives — and it is a great joy to witness it firsthand at the University of Chicago."