Announcing Minnesota Rising 2011 Un/Conference Keynote Speaker: Laura Zabel

Laura Zabel is the Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Springboard for the Arts is a community and economic development organization for individual artists-serving artists in the Upper Midwest and beyond. Springboard applies the creative process to reframe conversations, develop unconventional partnerships, and devise simple solutions. One of Springboard’s newest initiatives is a Community Supported Art (CSA) project based on the Community Supported Agriculture model which connects artists directly with patrons through a 3-month farm-share program.

In 2010, Laura was named one of Twin Cities Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty and Springboard won the Social Entrepreneur’s Cup award which recognizes Minnesota's most innovative and effective social entrepreneur and the organization they lead. Laura chairs the City of Saint Paul Cultural STAR Board and serves on the Knight Foundation National Arts Advisory Committee. In addition to her work at Springboard, Laura is an actor in the Twin Cities and has worked with companies such as Theatre in the Round and the Brave New Workshop. Laura has her undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Kansas, where she serves on the Professional Advisory Board for the Department of Theatre.