Laura Mitchell Tully

I’m a leader who connects creativity with strategy. While I work across multiple fields (in any given day, I’m equally likely to be analyzing a financial statement, leading a meeting, or writing a story), I’m always focused on one thing: thoughtfully bringing new ideas to life.

IMG_4719+%281%29.jpg — I’ve helped launch innovation centers at Yale and UC Berkeley, led experimental projects on topics like open data and journalism archives, and written and edited for diverse clients. Currently, I’m the Director of Business Operations for Wirecutter, the New York Times’ product recommendation service, where I drive growth across culture, operations, and strategy.

Screen%2BShot%2B2020-12-13%2Bat%2B12.09.22%2BPM.jpg — Previously, I was the Communications & Creative Director at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale. There, I had a broad portfolio: my projects included leading the development of a new visual brand and website, standing up operational processes, mentoring venture teams, and building a high-performing team of student media producers and designers.

Before that, I managed communications and public programs as part of the founding team of Berkeley’s Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation. No two days were the same: I launched and ran two popular talk series with leading designers, wrote major publications and proposals, built communications systems from the ground up, developed partnerships, and much more.

Outside of these roles, I’ve led a number of projects that draw connections across ideas, technologies, and communities. A few favorites include creating experimental publications on museum data, prototyping a magazine that would highlight invisible labor in the tech industry, and launching a tongue-in-cheek writer’s residency on a Boston commuter train.

I can also usually be found writing and editing. I’ve covered the arts and civic life for places like SFMOMA’s Open Space, Art21, and Big Red & Shiny. In between writing everything from social media copy to fundraising materials, I’ve reported many stories like this and this in my roles at Berkeley and Yale. I’ve even assigned myself book reports as part of a year-long personal project.

I have an M.A. in public humanities from Brown, and a B.A. in history from UCLA. When not working, I’m often exploring new places, playing tennis on my local public court, or diving into a novel.
Across everything I do, I value curiosity and community.

Interested in creating something together? I’d love to talk!