Great Performances

Originally from New Orleans, Laura comes to Empowered Hospitality after fifteen years in NYC's renowned theatre industry. Her wide range of experiences — from the front lines of customer service at a Broadway theatre to building a brand-new human resources department at an established licensing company — has given her unique insights into what helps people thrive in every stage of their career. Laura's passion for building community and making local cultures feel invigorating to the people who live in them - and like home to the people who don’t - make her an incredible teammate and resource at Empowered. Laura earned a BA in theatre from City College of New York, an MFA in creative writing from Hunter College, and a PHR certificate from HRCI.

Ideal Restaurant Experience

New Orleans is famous for its cuisine, and more importantly, its people and culture! My ideal restaurant experience involves a place that has a story: somewhere that has survived storms and setbacks, where the same locals have been sitting at the same tables for decades, and where the bartender has both a drink and an outrageous story ready when you walk in the door. Food is almost secondary to a place where there is always a seat waiting for you.

What does creating workplaces where people thrive mean to you?

Creating workplaces where people thrive means making space for people to feel confident and grow — both inside and outside of work! Since we spend a lot of time at work, the workplace should be supportive, engaging, and interesting, and still leave space for your other interests, friends, and family.

Sarah began her career in restaurant operations with Hillstone Restaurant Group, becoming one of the youngest general managers at a $10m+ location before transitioning to a corporate HR role. After several years as an HR director, however, her position was eliminated, prompting her to pursue a similar HR leadership role in NYC's bustling hospitality industry. To her dismay, many of the small hospitality businesses she was drawn to simply did not need full-time HR support, despite their struggle with HR. In many of these initial conversations, Sarah instinctively pivoted her interview into a strategy session, focusing not on her career goals but on the HR needs of each business - often offering to complete small HR projects as a freelancer. A few months of working in this capacity was all Sarah needed to embrace her calling to build a sustainable, scalable consulting business. Empowered Hospitality was born.

Sarah earned her bachelor’s in political science with honors from Yale and holds SHRM-SCP, WSET Advanced (Wine & Spirits Educational Trust), and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) certifications. Sarah was selected as a 2021 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow for her passion for building an equitable, collaborative, and socially conscious small business, is a perennial speaker at the annual FAB Conference in Charleston, SC, a frequent panelist on topics related to people and organization for the James Beard Foundation, and a guest lecturer at the School of Hospitality Administration at Boston University.

Ideal Restaurant Experience

Visiting home in Massachusetts always involves a highly anticipated trip to the local clam shack, where we would go in the summertime as kids. There's no happiness quite like catching up with friends and family over fried clams and 'lobstah' rolls in a place with so many memories!

What does "creating workplaces where people thrive" mean to you?

Creating workplaces where people thrive means fostering growth, transparency, and well-being. It means defining the larger purpose that drives you, and building a team that believes equally in that purpose.