Laura Schwartz
The White House Director of Events, Clinton Administration and author of Eat, Drink & Succeed
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- Laura was the youngest female presidential appointee in White House history.
- Laura climbed her way up the ranks of President Clinton’s Administration as the Midwest Press Secretary, Director of Television and, ultimately, Director of Events, where she produced the President’s events on the world stage.
- In Laura’s book, and in her internationally acclaimed Eat, Drink and Succeed lecture series, Laura shares her secrets to success, revealing essential networking tools that will increase sales, productivity and leadership, and propel you to the next level in business and beyond.
- Laura Schwartz will jumpstart your event with an energizing program that leaves the audience talking, thinking and succeeding! Laura brings style and substance center stage as she reveals powerful tools you can use to unlock hidden opportunities in your business and beyond. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, part of a sales team, an independent consultant, a Fortune 500 CEO or somewhere in between, Laura can motivate you to Eat, Drink and Succeed! Best of all, she tailors each keynote for her client with a customized message that motivates her audience to start turning relationships into partnerships and ideas into realities.
*Fee ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact your Speaker Exchange Agency representative.
THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS
Laura Schwartz, the Director of Events for the Clinton Administration, created and executed more than 1,000 White House events including State arrival ceremonies and dinners, America’s Millennium Celebration and NATO’s 50th Anniversary. While producing the President’s events on the world stage, Laura demonstrated the ability to inspire a nation and the world through powerful productions. She arrived at the White House with no political connections at just 19 years of age and volunteered, answering phones in the press office. Immediately proving her value, Laura climbed her way up the ranks to Staff Assistant, the Midwest Press Secretary, the Director of Television, and ultimately, the White House Director of Events. Following the administration, Laura travelled the world with Former President Clinton for his Foundation and Global Initiative.
EAT, DRINK & SUCCEED
In Eat, Drink & Succeed! Climb Your Way to the Top Using the Networking Power of Social Events, Laura shares the secrets to building powerful, effective partnerships in our companies, communities and beyond, adding color with personal anecdotes from her life and White House years. As a professional speaker she takes those same details to stages, boardrooms, classrooms and ballrooms around the world in her acclaimed speaking series to empower, motivate and inspire each audience to Eat, Drink & Succeed!
TELEVISION WORK
Laura appears regularly as an international television commentator speaking about leadership, networking and world events. She covered the 2008 presidential campaign for the CBS Early Show, was the on-air political contributor for Fox News Channel from 2004 to 2007, a regular on Sir David Frost’s Frost Over the World, and the special correspondent to Larry King Live and CNN for the 2008 presidential primaries. Today, Laura appears on the BBC World News, China’s CCTV, and BBC Wales. Laura’s nonpartisan commentary is well respected both domestically and internationally.
EXPERIENCED SPEAKER, EMCEE AND INTERVIEWER
Laura has been taking her empowering presentations to stages across the world since 2001 and is well known for her dynamic keynotes and as a mistress of ceremonies for multi-day conferences and events. Whether addressing an intimate gathering of 30 or a crowd of 30,000, Laura captivates audiences with her positive energy, expertise and enthusiasm. Laura has received high marks for her work as emcee for several prominent organizations and charitable events, including the Hilton Worldwide, Essilor North America, Financial and Insurance Conference Planners’ (FICP), and the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk.
HONORS AND BOARD INVOLVEMENT
Laura is widely recognized for her civic, philanthropic and professional leadership and has won numerous awards and accolades. In 2015, Laura was the first American woman to be featured as the cover story of The SME Advisor, the UAE’s leading entrepreneurial magazine and appeared as a featured contributing writer to Fast Company Magazine. She has been named one of the Best Keynote Speakers by Meetings and Conventions Magazine as well as Successful Meetings Magazine, and is also a member of the National Speakers Association. She serves on the boards of the American Heart Association, the Clean the World Foundation, Common Threads and Event Solutions Magazine. She was named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Chicago” by Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine and named one of Chicago’s “Most Bold and Beautiful” by Chicago Magazine for her community involvement. In 2009, the prestigious Oxford Union in England invited Laura to speak on the Foreign Policy Legacy of the United States and the role of Women in the World.
Laura travels extensively both domestically and internationally to work with Fortune 500 companies, independent businesses, industry associations, universities and nonprofit organizations, motivating people from all over the world to reach their fullest potential!
Laura’s super-charged signature series is centered on being “prepared for partnership” while turning the “optional into opportunity,” because as Laura reminds us all, “You ever know when the next conversation will be the conversation to change your life or that of someone else!”
Laura challenges her audience to ask, “What can I do for you?” instead of the more negative — and more common — “What can you do for me?” interpretation of networking. She explains how positive, powerful networking involves mentoring and leading both inside and outside of the office. And, she incorporates your conference programming and year-round engagement into examples where Laura’s tips can be used to increase results for every member of your audience. When the event is over, these lessons can be carried back to the office and put to work in professional and personal settings. Eat, Drink & Succeed motivates, engages, and most importantly, it drives action. Whether a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran, attendees will feel empowered to take every facet of the conference and make it work to their full advantage and yours.
Laura provides the tools and techniques that motivate attendees to capitalize on all social and business interactions at the conference so that they, too, can turn relationships into partnerships and ideas into realities.
A UNIQUE & DYNAMIC APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP, USING INSPIRING STORIES FROM PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY
As any great leader will attest, leading in successful times is easy. It’s what a leader does in times of turbulence and change that sets them apart. In this one-of-a-kind program, Laura shares little-known stories from more than 200 years of U.S. Presidents and First Ladies to inspire great leadership in any circumstance. Laura adapts non-partisan stories to make relevant and relatable comparisons to your company or association, and offers tips that attendees can immediately put into action in their personal or professional lives.
Laura uses her unique White House experience to share valuable takeaways and inspiring stories from the earliest White House inhabitants, along with first-hand accounts of defining moments during the Clinton administration. She illustrates real solutions from the successes and failures in leadership that we all can practice in our daily lives as we work with our customers and colleagues and share within our communities and families.
Laura often customizes this keynote to focus solely on Women Leadership and Empowerment and has delivered to standing ovations at internal corporate resource groups focusing on female development in the workplace and community.
From her start as a small-town girl with a speech impediment to becoming the youngest female presidential appointee in White House history and eventually an international professional speaker and television commentator, Laura delivers relevant and relatable moments of challenges and success.
She outlines how we can all turn to these 5 Pillars for answers, leadership and development throughout all stages of our lives. This compelling, comedic, motivational program will leave every audience feeling inspired and ready to engage with their life!
In addition to keynoting, Laura also emcees conferences and events of all sizes, conducts interviews on stage with CEO’s and organization leaders, and moderates expert panel discussions. Laura prepares for each event by conducting extensive research into the client’s brand, goals and audience. She tailors her role as an emcee to the tone and purpose of each specific conference, and works with the production team to ensure all technical requirements are met and rehearsals take place as needed. Through her effortless energy and humor, Laura can seamlessly keep any conference on track, on message and on time!
Laura is a well-known mistress of ceremonies for multi-day conferences and events including charity galas, sporting events, panel discussions and fashion shows. Whether addressing an intimate gathering of 30 or an audience of 30,000, Laura captivates audiences with her positive energy, expertise and enthusiasm. Laura is the annual emcee for several prominent charitable events, including the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk in Chicago’s Grant Park and the YWCA Leaders Luncheon. In 2013, she had the honor of moderating a panel of civil rights leaders for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington.
Past clients include Financial and Insurance Conference Planners’ (FICP) four-day annual conference at LA Live, Essilor North America’s three-day annual sales conference at the Waldorf Astoria New York City, Connect Marketplace’s two-day conference at Navy Pier Chicago and Cathay Pacific’s announcement of its Chicago-to-Hong Kong gateway service at the Peninsula Chicago.
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