Laura Cole Senior Vice President LWR Communities, LLC Laura leads the residential program and strategic marketing efforts for Lakewood Ranch, a 31,000-acre master-planned community located on the west coast of Florida and ranked the second “Best Selling Community in the US” by RCLCO and John Burns in 2018 and 2019. Home to more than 35,000 residents and 16,000 jobs, Lakewood Ranch features A-rated schools, medical and education institutions, the Sarasota Polo Club, 22-field Premier Sports Campus, Main Street shopping and dining, and 10 million square feet of commercial property. Prior to Lakewood Ranch, Laura was vice president of marketing for Willowsford, a 4,000-acre community in Northern Virginia, awarded “National Community of the Year” by NAHB in 2013 for its conservation efforts, design, and integration of agriculture. From 2002 to 2007 Laura served as vice president of corporate development for RCLCO in Washington, DC, and before that held positions with the Urban Land Institute, Greater Houston Partnership, and IBM/CB Commercial. She was a founding member of the Houston Technology Center, named by Forbes Magazine as one of the “Ten Technology Incubators Changing the World,” and has contributed to ULI publications and advisory reports on workforce housing, downtown redevelopment, and the privatization of land markets in Central Europe. Laura serves as programming co-chair for ULI’s Community Development Council (Gold). She is a native of Madrid, Spain, and received a B.S. in Urban Development from the University of Arizona. Laura and her family reside in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.