Laura Kadetsky joined LDF in January 2026 as Chief Operations Officer & General Counsel. Laura is a seasoned nonprofit executive with more than fifteen years of strategic and operational leadership in national mission-driven organizations.
Laura served most recently as Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel at New Leaders, a national education nonprofit dedicated to improving student outcomes. As a member of the executive team, she played a central role in shaping organizational strategy; guiding major initiatives; and ensuring the infrastructure, systems, and governance necessary to support long-term sustainability. Laura led multiple operations functions, including Legal, Human Resources, Technology, and Finance, and served as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and the Board of Directors, including as Secretary to the Board.
Prior to joining New Leaders, Laura was a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she represented clients in employment, antitrust, bankruptcy, and white-collar matters and built a distinguished pro bono portfolio recognized with the firm’s annual Pro Bono Service Award for five consecutive years. She began her career clerking for the Honorable Bernice Bouie Donald in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
Laura holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Articles Editor for the Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review, and a B.A. from Yale University. She is active in philanthropic and civic engagement, including acting as an Ambassador for the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance and protecting the right to vote through the Election Protection hotline. She speaks and writes on nonprofit organizations and legal issues and serves on advisory and alumni leadership boards within the nonprofit community.
