Laura Plaut. the founder and director of Common Threads Farm, is a passionate life-long learner. She believes that learning is most effective when it is organized around real-world needs and projects, and when it is FUN!

Common Threads Farm grew out of Laura's 20+ years as an experiential educator and her conviction that nothing is more fundamental and worthy of our attention than how we choose to interact with food and energy. She believes that important issues such as the future of food and energy will be solved, slowly but surely, by helping people experience and fall in love with patterns of consumption that are healthy for themselves, their communities, and our planet. 

Laura holds a master's degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and a bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Culture from Amherst College. Prior to founding Common Threads Farm, she chaired the Education Program at Prescott College, served as an Instructor and Course Director for the North Carolina Outward Bound School, directed the Fort Miley Ropes Course in San Francisco, served as the Education and Service Learning Coordinator for the East Bay Conservation Corps; and led international service-learning programs for teens in China, Thailand, and Costa Rica.