Laura Ramanis was born in Indianapolis to Latvian immigrant parents. Her first exposure to Latvian art came from her grandfather, who enjoyed painting oil landscapes of his beloved homeland. Growing up, Laura was actively involved in the Latvian diaspora, graduating from Garezers summer high school in Michigan and participating in cultural events.

After graduating from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Laura began her career in management and recruiting before entering the financial services industry as a relationship manager at Willis Towers Watson in Chicago. She later moved to Mercer, where she excelled in turning around underperforming entities and held several leadership roles, including senior managing partner for New England.

In 2014, Laura joined Newport Group, a privately held financial services firm based in California, as Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure, she led the company through remarkable growth, expanding from 200 to 1,500 employees. In 2021, she became Chief Executive Officer. After overseeing the sale of the company to Ascensus, a technology and financial services firm based in Pennsylvania, she continued to serve as President of Newport Retirement under the new ownership. She guided the integration of the companies before retiring at the end of 2022.

Laura also held positions as a Board Advisor for a private equity firm, Trustee for Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston, and Board and Audit Committee Member for the Latvian Foundation. She currently serves as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Latvia in Northern California.