Laura Hansen, NOLS Director of Custom Education, started her journey with NOLS in 2015 as a Wind River Range backpacking student and then, in a full circle moment, took her instructor course in May 2023. She was the NOLS Associate Director of Custom Education from June 2023 to January 2024, then Interim NOLS Director of Custom Education from February to April 2024. In April 2024, Laura was named the NOLS Director of Custom Education.

Before joining NOLS as an instructor in May 2023, she worked as Head of Growth at Bluebird Backcountry, a backcountry ski startup focused on education and accessibility, in Steamboat Springs, Colo., from 2020 to 2021.

She started her career at Bain & Company, a strategy consulting firm, where she advised clients on growth strategy and customer experience. Most recently, she worked for Bain Academy, a group at Bain that designs and delivers experiential leadership education to its clients.

Based in Northern California, Hansen received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and earned her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.