Laura Kiesbye, Executive Director MHW from May 2022 to Present – Staff Bio and Profile

Laura earned a Certificate in Computerized Accounting from The Cittone Institute after receiving a full scholarship to attend this institution by participating in Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) testing and scholarship program. She later continued her education at Middlesex County College where she earned an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Marketing Concentration from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. While working for Ross University as a Student Accounting Assistant, Laura was provided with the opportunity to further her education through her employer’s tuition program where she earned a Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM) Degree from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Laura was recently accepted to Marist College and plans to obtain a second Master’s Degree in the Fall of 2023 for Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in non-profit management.

Laura has spent most of her career in for-profit corporate environments where she primarily focused on the Finance and Accounting field. Laura loves to work with numbers and has a passion for finding reconciliation discrepancies. She has held a variety of positions that include the construction and real estate world, Universities/Colleges, and most recently held the position as Regional Finance Manager for Sports Facilities Management (SFM). At SFM, Laura was able to continue her love of mentoring and training, along with utilizing her skillsets in the finance, accounting, and human resources fields. She left SFM to pursue the Finance and Office Management role at Mid-Hudson Works. This was a position close to home and family and didn’t include extensive traveling, so this was a nice change. It was the first time in her career that she dabbled in the non-profit sector. For personal reasons, she left Mid-Hudson Works in May 2021 and pursued another construction opportunity, but quickly realized a short year later that her heart and passion stayed behind at Mid-Hudson Works. At that time, the Executive Director position was open and she was ready to take on the challenge.

Laura’s focus, as the new Executive Director, is to create much needed change that will help the organization grow and progress towards improving financial stability. The clients we serve at Mid-Hudson Works are an extension of family. Growing our programming and workforce development capabilities to grow staff capacity is a top priority on Laura’s list! Laura is also focused on building improvements, capital improvements, and equipment needs that will make the workshop an enjoyable place to visit.

On a personal note, Laura enjoys gardening, taking cruises with her family in their classic car, and loves to spend time with family and friends.