Laura Briggs is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and military spouse. She is the author of Remote Work for Military Spouses: Find and Grow Your Meaningful Mobile Career (August 9, 2022), a guide to help military spouses define their remote work goals, land the right job, handle stress, and grow their career.
Passionate about connecting military spouses to meaningful career options no matter where they live, Laura founded the national nonprofit Operation Freelance, which teaches military spouses how to start their freelance career. Laura is also a two-time TEDx speaker, addressing the changing economy and student preparation for a variety of career paths. She was the keynote speaker at Upwork’s 2020 annual gathering.
“Military spouses often have to put their careers on pause or exit a job they love due to a PCS, caregiving, or deployment,” says Laura. “I had to pivot my career quickly due to my husband’s active-duty status in the Navy. Working remotely allowed me to remain employed through nine separate moves. It’s my hope that the remote work revolution will enable more military spouses to find meaningful employment.”
An advocate for domestic violence awareness, Laura focused her Master’s and doctoral research in this area and also created an educational program, which she presented to more than 3,000 Girl Scouts and more than a dozen community organizations across Virginia. She was awarded the Virginia Tech Woman in Leadership Award, The Graduate Student Service Excellence Award, and the Frank Beamer Community Service Award for her efforts.
Laura received her dual-Bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Randolph Macon Woman’s College and her Master’s degree in political science from Virginia Tech. She is completing her PhD in Virginia Tech’s public administration and policy department.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Laura now lives in Springfield, Illinois, with her husband, John, an occupational medicine physician in the Navy, their three cats—Tigg, Max, and Lincoln—a pug named Frank, and a Pekin duck named Duckie.
