Laura Arnold is founder and co-chair of Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, Arnold Ventures is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen
their communities, and promote their economic opportunity.

Laura and her husband, John, fi rst launched a charitable foundation in 2008. Their philanthropic focus has since expanded to cover areas such as education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public fi nance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. The Arnolds became signatories of the Giving Pledge in 2010.

With an extensive, 15+-year history, Arnold Ventures has been one of the foremost results-oriented philanthropies in the United States. The philanthropy consists of more than 100 experts and leaders on a mission to understand and solve the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems.

Prior to Arnold Ventures, Laura was executive vice president and general counsel for a global oil exploration company
based in Houston. She is a founding partner of the REFORM Alliance, a national criminal justice advocacy organization
dedicated to reducing the number of people needlessly ensnared in the revolving door of probation and parole, as well as the penalizing nature of fees and fi nes. She also serves on the Leadership Advisory Council for the Tsai Leadership Program at Yale Law School.

Laura is a trustee emeritus for the Rice University Board of Trustees. She earned her law degree from Yale Law School, a
master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.

Laura was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She and John have three children and live in Houston.