Laurel Potter Huerta (she/her)

Vice President of Operations

Laurel is the Vice President of Operations, bridging strategic vision with tactical implementation. In her current role, she leads the operations strategy to drive organizational effectiveness, foster collaboration, and expand our collective impact. She has also served as Managing Director of WDN Action, extending the power of our work to legislative and electoral advocacy. Laurel brings over 15 years of program development, communications, technology, and operational expertise to her work with the network.

Before her tenure with WDN and WDN Action, Laurel spent several years working in the field of education in Brazil and Spain. She has conducted fieldwork on progressive education policy in Porto Alegre, Brazil, partnered with the University of Barcelona on an international study of innovative educational technologies, and evaluated the effects of school reform on student learning experiences.

Laurel’s experience also includes roles in teacher training and development in Rio de Janeiro, educational consulting in the Silicon Valley, professional translation, and advising on a children’s book project about environmental justice leaders. Laurel holds undergraduate degrees in English, Spanish, and Portuguese from UC Berkeley and completed graduate studies in Education at the University of Barcelona.