Laura brings a valuable combination of practical operations management, overseeing multi-million dollar budgets, with a passion for social endeavors on a global stage. Laura spent 8 years as Managing Director of a children’s charitable organization in the U.K. and previously managed United Nations Volunteer programs in Honduras, as well as serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras. Laura who is fluent in Spanish and English, has a B.A. in Politics and Economics from Lake Forest College in Illinois, U.S.A. and an MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management.
Trade Without Borders was founded by Joseph Fernandez in March, 2007. Joseph was born in the developing world of South Asia, but emigrated to the developed worlds of Europe, and then the U.S.A. When he was 12 years old, he saw a TV commercial celebrating the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps, and felt pulled back into the developing world. Upon graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Joseph served in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a Peace Corps volunteer. Later, he completed an MBA in International Management at Thunderbird, School of Global Management and then began work among the emerging markets of Asia providing global trading services to a diverse international clientele. Realizing that efficient global trading systems, for the most part, did not extend to the majority of the world’s population, and recognizing a correlation between prosperity and participation in global trade, Joseph felt compelled to establish Trade Without Borders.