ABOUT LAURA WARD-MORAN

Laura Ward-Moran has been a resident of Harford County, Maryland for 47 years. She pursued her first passion, ballet and modern dance, and graduated from Goucher College with her BA in Dance Education in 1999. Shortly after, she spent two years in New York City getting certified in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning under the tutelage of Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates’ protégé. During this time, she also started a business back in Maryland, The Maryland School of Ballet and Modern Dance, Inc. At just 23 years old, she opened her first business and was the first to bring instruction in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning to Harford County, MD.  This was the beginning of her life long pursuit  and passion for business ownership.

As owner of the Maryland School of Ballet and Modern Dance, Inc., which was also known as Pilates on Main, she expanded the business three times and managed and paid a staff of twenty employees for fifteen years. Once she decided she was ready to sell the business, she successfully executed the sale and mentored a new owner.  

During the pandemic, Laura co-founded and co-owned a global online company called Ballet Fundamental Fix, LLC. The company sold dance curriculum and lesson plans specifically designed for training dancers aged 6-12. This short term venture was highly successful and filled a gap for dance educators during a time when it was greatly needed. Being a part of this company gave Laura valuable experience and insight in utilizing social media and the internet for marketing and selling products online. She realized the vast number of opportunities available for anyone wishing to start an online business. Laura understands how valuable this experience was for her coaching career, as more and more businesses are now exploring online ventures. 

Along with her  business pursuits, and multitude of experiences as a dance educator, Laura is also an experienced Real Estate Salesperson. She obtained her real estate license in 2014 due to her passion for real estate and was an active Realtor in Harford County, MD. She received the “Top Rookie of the Year” award from Long and Foster, Bel Air Central Sales, which was a testament to the network of relationships she had established through her many years as a business owner. 

During the same time, she was hired by The John Carroll School to implement a specialized college preparatory dance program for their high school.  The John Carroll School College Preparatory Dance Program has grown immensely under her leadership and continues to be recognized as an outstanding program for training youth who intend to pursue dance in college. 

She continues to lead the dance program at the John Carroll School mentoring youth in preparation for collegiate dance, and keeps an active Real Estate Salesperson license  as a referral agent where she enjoys keeping up with the real estate market while providing referrals to the agents in her network. She is certain that having this additional knowledge has enhanced her leadership abilities.

Laura is a passionate individual who enjoys helping others. She has mentored both youth and adults in private, public, and collegiate school settings, as well as through her personal businesses. Laura is an advocate for the arts in her community and has served on the Harford County Cultural Arts Board and is a current board member serving the Maryland Dance Education Association representing K-12 independent schools. In addition, she has been named educator of the year in 2022 by the Maryland Dance Education Association. Laura will graduate with a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Loyola University of Maryland in 2025 and believes that this additional education has enhanced her ability to lead and mentor others.