Laura Vilines, Founder & Executive Director

In 2018, Laura founded Teach St. Louis, the first program of its kind in the St. Louis region.  Prior to this work, Laura served as the Chief Academic Officer at STEM Preparatory Academy, a charter school network located in Nashville, Tennessee. In her time as CAO, STEM Prep was consistently named a Reward School, performing in the top 10 percent of schools in the state.  Laura holds a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy and a Master’s degree in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University.  Laura is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and she began her career as a 2006 Teach For America Corps Member, teaching high school English.

Laura currently enjoys living in the city with her husband, two sons, and their bad dog - Julep. In her time away from work, Laura enjoys yoga, hiking, skiing, and spending time outdoors.