Laura Scott | Mitchell Leadership Institute Director
Maryvale Preparatory School
Laura Scott is an accomplished businesswoman and the parent of two Maryvale alumnae, excited to begin her new role as the Director of the Mitchell Leadership Institute. Scott is well-known for her work as a Global Supply Chain Leader, spending most of her career with McCormick & Company. Scott received her bachelor’s degree from Juniata College and her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. Scott has been working with the United Way of Central Maryland for the last six years and serves on the Executive Committee for Leaders United. Now she is ready to bring her skills to the Maryvale students to help them become the leaders of tomorrow.
WHAT DREW YOU TO EDUCATION?
I consider myself a life-long learner. In addition to my formal education, I’ve always been drawn to extracurricular reading (for work and pleasure) and would return wildly energized from any degree of additional seminars or courses I could consume. I crave multiple perspectives, deep context, and trusted knowledge to craft my own opinions and drive my own actions – to form well-rounded and stress-tested viewpoints.
Additionally, I’ve always claimed my mantra to be “Make good choices, be a good person, and pay it forward.” At this point in my life and career, with a steadfast passion for women’s leadership, it’s time to give back what I have received and partner with Maryvale, our staff, faculty, and fantastic students to push our next generation of transformational women leaders to articulate and achieve their goals and positively impact our world.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR CURRENT SCHOOL?
Maryvale’s tagline is “LEARN. LEAD. SUCCEED. Educating young women for life.” There it is! Maryvale is clearly committed to positively impacting our world by preparing young women for life.
By providing a foundation of solid academics, opportunities for growth, and an environment that offers the exploration of local and global issues, Maryvale is uniquely equipped to prepare young women to articulate and achieve their goals.
The “Maryvale Way” is rooted in RESPECT, DIGNITY, and INCLUSIVITY. I want to be part of all of that!
In particular, the Mitchell Leadership Institute truly provides our students with a uniquely competitive advantage as our girls grow into the next stages of their lives. We deeply explore leadership through three lenses:
› What is leadership?
› Who are you in the context of leadership?
› What are some practical skills and applications of leadership that you can apply and reflect upon for years to come?
While many of us have learned these skills ‘on the job’ or somewhat later in our careers (or maybe not at all), I believe providing these foundations of leadership, in a safe and supportive environment, at these earlier stages of professional and personal development, will yield life- long benefits.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR ROLE?
I was once asked in an interview, “What makes a leader?” My immediate response was, “Someone who wants to help.”
Help what? Make a difference, drive a change, improve a condition, etc. I’ve learned that you can lead by example, from the front, from behind, as a servant, as a role model, and so on.
I want to instill a sense of confidence and integrity in our students, helping them to understand what leadership means to them, to better articulate their goals, and help them best position themselves for their futures from a leadership context.
With humility and in the spirit of life-long learning, I fully expect this journey to be mutually beneficial!
This article is part of the 2023-2024 Guide to Baltimore Independent Schools.
