Laura Schwartz
- Author of Eat, Drink & Succeed
- Television Commentator
- White House Director of Events for the Clinton Administration
Travels From
Illinois
Laura Schwartz Speaker Biography
Laura’s story is impressive! She started as the youngest female presidential appointee in history, serving as White House Director of Events for President Bill Clinton. She went on to author the internationally acclaimed Eat, Drink & Succeed, and today she’s a sought-after speaker, emcee and television commentator —named one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the Global Event Industry” for 7 consecutive years 2019-2025.
THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS
Laura Schwartz served as White House Director of Events for the Clinton Administration, working directly with the President, First Lady, world leaders, and international business executives. She traveled the globe with the President, produced more than 1,000 events, including State arrival ceremonies and dinners, America’s Millennium Celebration, the UN Millennium Summit, and NATO’s 50th Anniversary demonstrating how powerful events can inspire a nation and the world. Arriving at the White House at just 19 years old, with no political connections, Laura rose through the ranks from Staff Assistant to Midwest Press Secretary, Director of Television, and ultimately, Director of Events.
LAURA’S BOOK: EAT, DRINK & SUCCEED
In Eat, Drink & Succeed, Laura reveals the secrets to building powerful, effective partnerships where we least expect them—whether in our companies, communities, chance encounters, or beyond. Drawing on personal stories from her White House years and global experiences, she shows how to harness the positive networking power of any conversation to spark opportunity and success.
PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER, EMCEE AND INTERVIEWER
For 25 years Laura has brought her empowering presentations to stages and screens worldwide,
earning recognition for her dynamic keynotes and her role as mistress of ceremonies for multi-day conferences and events. Whether engaging 10 executives, energizing 10,000 attendees, or connecting virtually across continents, Laura captivates audiences with her expertise, enthusiasm, and positive energy. She has been entrusted as emcee by some of the world’s most prominent organizations, including HP, Microsoft, Hyundai, Boeing, Uber, AT&T, Infosys, Gilead, Regeneron, Raytheon, EY, Cartier, Elavon, Synchrony, BlackRock, Guardian Life, Hyatt, Hilton, the Oprah Winfrey Network, Macy’s, Realtor.com, Coldwell Banker, Berkshire Hathaway, Nielsen IQ, and more.
TELEVISION AND MEDIA COMMENTATOR
Laura has been a prominent face on television worldwide since 2001, serving as an authoritative voice on current events, the American presidency, domestic and foreign affairs and the global economy. She is the American Contributor to Australia’s #1 morning program, The Today Show, and, alongside her cast at ITV, earned the prestigious Drum Award for “Podcast of the Year” in 2021.
4 Signature Keynote Descriptions from Laura Schwartz follow:
Note: Laura customizes each keynote to align with the client’s message and objectives and is renowned for her ability to connect authentically with every audience. Rather than delivering the same speech repeatedly, she crafts presentations that are fresh, relevant, and impactful.
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EAT, DRINK AND SUCCEED
High energy and motivation you’ll remember and strategies you’ll use.
Laura’s super-charged signature series is built on being prepared for partnership and turning the optional into opportunity. As she reminds audiences: “You never know when the next conversation will be the one to change your life—or someone else’s.”
Challenging traditional ideas of networking, Laura inspires audiences to ask “What can I do for you?” instead of the self-serving “What can you do for me?” She demonstrates how positive, powerful networking is about mentoring, leading, and building connections both inside and outside the office.
Customized to incorporate your conference programming and year-round engagement, Laura shares practical examples and actionable tips that increase results for every participant. When the event is over, these lessons carry back to the workplace—and into everyday life.
Eat, Drink & Succeed motivates, engages, and drives action. Whether a first-time attendee or seasoned veteran, every participant leaves empowered to transform conversations into opportunities, relationships into partnerships, and ideas into results.
Eat, Drink & Succeed inspires at:
Corporate and association conference kickoffs
Sales meetings
Employee engagement and culture-building programs
Innovation labs and strategy sessions
Professional development workshops and seminars
Team-building and professional growth initiatives
Leadership development programs
ACTIVATE YOUR SUPERPOWERS
Every leader has a cape. It’s time to wear yours.
From her start as a small-town girl with a speech impediment to becoming the youngest female presidential appointee in White House history—and ultimately an international professional speaker and television commentator—Laura shares powerful, relatable stories of challenges and triumphs. Along the way, she reveals the superpowers we all develop throughout our lives.
Audiences will uncover the five universal superpowers within themselves, learn how to activate them, and discover additional powers unique to their own journeys. These tools serve as invaluable assets for building leadership, driving engagement, and sparking growth—at work, at home, and in our communities.
Compelling, motivational, and deeply personal, this program leaves every audience inspired and energized—ready to put on their cape and embrace the superhero within.
Activate your superpowers is your cape for:
Corporate and association conferences
Innovation labs and strategy sessions
Employee engagement and culture-building programs
Women’s empowerment events
Professional development workshops and seminars
Leadership development programs
Team-building and professional growth initiatives
THE THIRD PLACE
Laura transforms the stage into a third place:
part experience, part revelation, all impact.
At the heart of opportunity is the space where conversations come alive. In The Third Place, Laura Schwartz brings to life the concept coined by urban sociologists in 1989—those spaces beyond home and work where we gather, connect, and create.
On stage, Laura doesn’t just talk about Third Places—she creates one in real time with members of your audience. Through interactive engagement, compelling stories, and actionable strategies, she demonstrates how these spaces transform relationships into partnerships and ideas into reality.
Audiences discover the power of Third Places and the potential to have the conversation—the one that shifts perspectives, opens doors, and changes the game. They leave energized, inspired, and ready to activate their own Third Place, transforming everyday interactions into extraordinary opportunities for growth, collaboration, and success.
The third place comes alive at:
Corporate and association conferences
Innovation labs and strategy sessions
Employee engagement and culture-building programs
Women’s empowerment events
Professional development workshops and seminars
Leadership development programs
Team-building and professional growth initiatives
LEAD FIRST
A dynamic presentation on leadership that inspires
in moments of triumph, turbulence, and transformation.
As any great leader will attest, leading in good times is easy—it’s in moments of turbulence and change that true leadership is revealed.
In this one-of-a-kind program, Laura Schwartz draws on little-known stories from more than 200 years of U.S. Presidents and First Ladies, weaving in her own White House experience to deliver non-partisan lessons that resonate with today’s organizations. She brings history to life with practical insights and powerful examples attendees can put into action immediately.
From the earliest White House inhabitants to defining moments of the Clinton administration, Laura shares stories that inspire and equip audiences with real-world leadership strategies they can apply daily—and carry back to their workplaces, communities, and beyond.
Lead First inspires leaders to rise at:
Women’s empowerment events
Corporate and association conferences
Professional development workshops and seminars
Innovation labs and strategy sessions
Leadership development programs
Team-building and professional growth initiatives
Employee engagement and culture-building programs
November 23, 2021
Working with Laura was amazing. She is a true professional that came thoroughly prepared and brought a very powerful energy that our other speakers fed off of making for great stage presence across the board. Working with her pre-production was easy, fun and collaborative. She was the perfect fit for our client's event. We would work with her again in a heartbeat!
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