Laura Ensler is the Founder of FirstStepNYC , a groundbreaking Prenatal to 5 Early Childhood Center co-located at IS41, a K-8 public school in Brownsville, Brooklyn.  She is a consultant to public, private and not-for- profit organizations in early education providing guidance on instituting change management strategies, developing new and innovative systems, and coaching to educational leadership. Laura serves as an Advisor to Once Upon Our Time Capsule, CUNY’s Early Childhood Leadership Initiative and the Low Income Investment Fund’s ECE Community Advisory.  In 2022, she co-authored The Five Commitments of Optimistic Leadership, a professional development guide for educational leaders. Laura is currently the Vice Chair and Board Member at the Power of Two,  a member of the WellMet Giving Group and a volunteer educator for Queens Public Library staff.  Previously, Laura was appointed by Mayor Mike Bloomberg as a Commissioner with the NYC Commission on Women’s Issues through the end of his tenure in 2013.