Laura McBain (she/her) (@laura_mcbain) is a designer, adjunct professor, and serves as Managing Director of the Stanford d.school and the Co-Director of the K12 Lab. At the d.school, she oversees the professional education portfolio, developing strategic partnerships with companies, nonprofits, and philanthropic institutions and leading their organizational design strategy. 

She is the author of My Favorite Failure: How Setbacks Can Lead to Learning and Growth, which provides insights and narratives into how you can create the conditions to take risks and experience failure together. She teaches classes on the intersection of equity, K12 education, and design. She also produces articles, podcasts, and keynotes on the future of learning, future thinking, and emerging technologies.

Prior to the d.school, Laura worked for 15 years at High Tech High as the Director of External Relations, Principal of two school sites, and as a Founding Teacher. She has taught middle and high school students in both charter and comprehensive schools. Laura has a Bachelors from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and a Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.