Laurel’s professional expertise centers on the confluence of strategy and operations for consumer-facing companies. She currently leads the Operational Excellence program for REI, the nation’s largest outdoor gear and apparel co-op, where her focus is developing the organization’s process improvement and cross-functional problem-solving capabilities. She previously managed REI’s Supply Chain strategy, driving strategic planning, process improvement, and analytics/reporting. She holds an MS in Sustainable Systems from SNRE, MBA from the Ross School of Business, and BA in Economics from Middlebury College, and enjoys year-round skiing, hiking, and climbing in the Pacific Northwest.