When Laura Rudert talks about leadership, she does not start with titles or credentials. She starts with people. With community. With responsibility to those who come next.

“I don’t see this work as just about the people today,” Rudert said. “I see it as about future generations.”

That perspective has shaped her 24-year career in public service and is what ultimately brought her to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, where she recently began her role as Chief Operating Officer.

Rudert brings experience across federal government, philanthropy, global development, and climate resilience work. She previously served as a senior executive with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a federal agency focused on poverty reduction and economic growth through large scale infrastructure investments. Through that work, she helped support projects ranging from schools and roads to public financial management systems, often in places where strong governance and community trust were essential.

She later joined the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she supported global advocacy strategy and managed operations for teams working across the world. More recently, she founded her own consulting firm, Partners for Reimagined Economies, focused on climate resilience and equity. Her work included partnerships with the World Bank, Clean Air Fund, Seattle Public Utilities, and supporting the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma.

Across all of that experience, one thing consistently stood out to her.

“One of the most important ingredients for success is community,” Rudert said. “I’ve seen that everywhere I’ve worked.”

That understanding is what made coming to a Tribal nation feel like the right next step, not just professionally but personally.

“I was very purposeful in my intent to come to the Tribe,” she said. “I am incredibly impressed by what is being built here and honored to support it.”

Her academic background reflects a long-standing interest in governance and Indigenous communities. Rudert earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from New College of Florida, the honors college of Florida, a nontraditional university that emphasizes written evaluations and original research rather than grades. Her undergraduate thesis focused on democratization in Guatemala, examining how Indigenous Mayan communities blended customary governance, laws and traditions with Western democratic systems at the local, municipal level. Through that work, she built close relationships with Indigenous leaders and learned directly from communities working to preserve culture, autonomy, and peace after conflict.

When the opportunity to serve as Chief Operating Officer at Muckleshoot came up, that early work felt especially meaningful.

“For my parents, this felt like a full circle moment,” she said. “I get to do this work at home, in my own country, after doing so much of it internationally.”

She later earned a master’s degree from Harvard Kennedy School in political and economic development.

“I did not think I was smart enough to get in,” Rudert said. “When I received the acceptance email, I thought it was a mistake.”

Despite her credentials, Rudert is thoughtful about how titles and institutions can create distance. As she gets to know the Muckleshoot community, she has been clear that she wants to be approachable and grounded.

“I don’t want credentials or titles to get in the way of people getting to know me,” she said. “Some of the best people I’ve known have never had fancy titles, and they have done some of the most important work in the world.”

That mindset shapes how she views the COO role itself. For Rudert, operations are not about control. They are about support.

“When systems do not work, it is communities that feel it first,” she said. “Operations matter because they affect real lives. My role is to help systems work better so staff can focus on serving the community,” she said.

Outside of work, Rudert describes herself as very family oriented. She and her husband have a five-year-old daughter, and motherhood has influenced many of her professional decisions, including her decision to step away from federal service in search of better balance.

“Being a mom matters deeply to me,” she said.

She is also an avid traveler and lifelong learner, driven by curiosity about culture, language, and how different communities approach problem solving. She speaks three languages and often draws inspiration from places she has lived and worked.  Rudert, who is half American and half Dominican, was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up bilingual, an experience that informs her deep respect for culture, family, and community.

“I see that same creativity here,” she said of Muckleshoot. “A willingness to find solutions that fit the community.”

Although she has only been with the Tribe a short time, Rudert said she has already been struck by the scope of services and the care shown for the people.

“Every department I visit, I learn about something incredible that is happening here,” she said. “I feel very privileged to be part of it.”

As she continues to settle into her role, Rudert says listening, learning, and supporting the people who already do this work every day. “I know trust is built over time,” she said. “My goal is to show up, do the work, and earn that trust.”

“I know first impressions matter,” she said. “I want people to know that I care.”

As we welcome Laura Rudert to Muckleshoot, we are honored to have a Chief Operating Officer whose leadership is grounded in service, humility, and respect for community. We are confident her experience and values will support the Tribe’s continued work for the people today and for generations to come.