Laura was raised in a military family. Her grandfather and her father were both in the U.S. Army. Following in their footsteps she left home at 17 to attend the New Mexico Military Institute (N.M.M.I.). She was one of just a handful of female cadet officers, the only female to attend Airborne School (Paratrooper), and was in the top 10% of over 1,000 cadets in military tactics. Laura graduated from the NMMI with an Associate of Arts Degree in Military Science in 1984.

Laura then obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Abnormal Psychology in 1986; and is one semester shy of a second degree in Psychology. She worked her way through the university as a Firefighter, Police Officer and Armed Security Officer.

After the university, Laura was called to active duty in the U.S. Army, where she went through intensive training in many disciplines and eventually was a Military Police Operations Officer (i.e., Chief of Police) of all U.S. military installations for almost half of South Korea. She wrote numerous war plans for the Middle East, and was a battalion and company Training Officer. She returned to the States to attend more training and then while station at Fort Carson, CO, she was deployed to Panama for the war ‘Just Cause’ where she earned the right to be called a Veteran. She held a number of positions in different locations with the Army and achieved the rank of Captain; and was being reviewed for Major when she exited the Army. After a serious injury that paralyzed her temporarily, she was released from the Army.

After a temporary job with IBM, Laura worked for 17 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in numerous managerial positions, to include a lead social worker for prisoners. Laura’s last position was as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) over all Federal Bureau of Prisons’ federal community contracts (i.e., contract jails, contracts for state prisons, federal prisons, rehabilitation centers, etc.) for the District of Eastern California, the District of Northern California, the District of Guam, the District of Hawaii, and the District of the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands. She was responsible for representing the bureau in federal court proceedings and to a wide range of federal, state and local agencies as well as the public. Laura was a long time lead instructor at the Bureau’s National Training Center on a variety of topics. She received many awards, to include an award from the U.S. Attorney General during her career with the bureau.

In addition to her professional career, Laura has made significant social contributions in America and abroad. In 2004, Laura helped establish an alliance of women who provide women’s conferences across America. As well as being a main speaker at these conferences, she has spoken at a wide range of seminars, classes, organizations, and other conferences. Laura was a volunteer teacher of ‘English as a Second Language’ for five (5) years to elderly Slavic students in Sacramento, California. In 2007, Laura helped establish a non-profit charity organization in the USA, of which she is the Treasurer and then in 2008 a non-profit charity organization in Vinnitsa, Ukraine. She traveled to Ukraine annually for six (6) years, until moving to Vinnitsa, with her husband, Mark, in 2007. Since moving, she has taught English through International Partnership and tutored privately (Doctors, IT Companies, a few children, etc..), as well as several children’s English camps. Laura also teaches different small groups, counsels people in crisis, and mentors/coaches a number of young professionals. She is the Assistant Director of David’s House Rehabilitation Center where she supervises the running of the house and gardens, as well as the intake, programming, and medical needs of the clients, and she records and reports all finances and statistics.

Laura is married to Reverand Mark Bohanan, has three (3) children, nine (9) grandchildren and two (2) great grandchildren. All her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren live in America.