As music director of the Reno Phil, Laura Jackson continues to win praise for her inspiring leadership, innovative programming and passionate community engagement. With the help of first-rate musicians, staff, board members and community supporters, Laura continues to captivate audiences and gain local and national recognition for Reno’s premier orchestra. She was responsible for establishing the organization’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence program resulting in new compositions and educational opportunities by Sean Shepherd and Michael Gandolfi. In addition, she was recently hand-picked to travel to Africa to be the first American ever to conduct the Algerian National Orchestra and represent the United States in a musical gift to the Algerian people. Laura spent her early childhood in Virginia and Pennsylvania before moving at age 11 to Plattsburgh, NY where she grew up waterskiing, swimming, and sailing on Lake Champlain.