Laura M. Born

Biography

Laura M. Born held the title of Managing Director in Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan Chase until 2007. Over her 16-year tenure, she worked in the Equity Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Investment Banking Coverage departments. During her career, she focused on consumer clients, industrials and financial institutions. Her transaction experience includes mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, initial public offerings, secondary equity offerings, convertible bond offerings, leveraged finance bank and bond transactions, investment grade bond transactions, and interest rate swaps and derivatives. Additionally, she provided advice on company valuations, strategic direction, capital structure, shareholder payout decisions, rating agency process, equity road shows, and conducted seminars for clients.

She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Carlson Inc. (hospitality portfolio company that owned TGIFridays, Radisson Hotels and Carlson Worldwide Travel and now operates a private equity platform), and  she is also the Chair of the Audit Committee. Through 2021, she served as a member of the board of the Trustees for the Columbia Acorn Trust and the Wanger Advisors Trust (small and mid-capitalization equity mutual funds), ten years of which she was elected as Chair of the Board. From 2018 to 2020, she served on the Driehaus Capital Managment LLC Advisory Board (small/mid cap equity asset management firm).  Closer to home, Born was a long time board member of the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston for 15 years. She has been involved in public education initiatives in her public school district, having served as: a Co-Chair of the 21st Century Learning Sub-Committee, a member of the Central School Improvement Plan Committee and a delegate to the New Trier High School Board of Education Caucus.  Most recently, Born is supporting the World Central Kitchen which is supporting Ukranian refugees along border countries.

Born earned a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Duke University in 1987. She received an MBA in finance and accounting with Honors from Chicago Booth in 1991.

She enjoys Italy, music, traveling, art history, yoga, hiking, and downhill skiing.

Academic Areas

• Finance