Laura Tierney named 40 Under 40 leader by Triangle Business Journal
Each year, the Triangle Business Journal accepts nominations for their annual 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards. With these, they honor the brightest, most promising business people under the age of 40 in the Triangle. Today we learned that The Social Institute Founder and President Laura Tierney is one of these 4o young leaders!
Just two yea
rs ago she started The Social Institute, but Laura has been a leader since she was a teenager. As a student-athlete, Laura led her high school field hockey team to its first-ever state championship and was the nation’s No. 1 recruit her senior year. She landed at Duke University, where she sharpened her leadership skills by becoming the field hockey team captain, as well as a four-time All-American, and Duke’s Athlete of the Decade. After navigating these teenage years with a phone in her hand and access to social media, Laura has now channeled her unique experience into helping teenagers use social media in positive, productive ways.
She and her team at The Social Institute have a superhuman focus on helping kids learn positive ways to use the world’s most visible reputation builder: social media. Together, they are revolutionizing social media education to empower and equip teens, rather than scare and restrict them.
Social media affects kids’ self-esteem, health, reputation, college acceptance odds, and career opportunities. That’s why schools around the county, including Wake County Public School District and its 150,000 students, are asking Laura and her team to equip them with positive social media education.
Within 10 years, Laura’s ambitious aspiration is to empower 20 million students to champion social media in a way that encourages positive character online and off.
Over 200 leaders were nominated this year for Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards.