Lara Laitsas
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Lara Laitsas (She/Her)
People Business Partner
Brooklyn, NY
Lara Laitsas serves as People Business Partner at ReFED. She leverages her multidisciplinary background to champion equity-driven HR practices, enhance employee well-being, and support the development of a thriving, mission-aligned remote team.
With a background in nursing and a strong foundation in employee experience, she brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and human resources experience to her role. She is passionate about building inclusive, wellness-centered workplace cultures that support individuals at every stage of their journey.
Before joining ReFED, Lara worked as a breast oncology nurse, specializing in breast medical and surgical oncology. Through that work, she provided compassionate care and clinical guidance to patients navigating complex diagnoses. Her career history also includes HR roles in the startup space (Common, Ethos, The Black Tux, Mixpanel) and entertainment industries (Pixar), where she focused on employee engagement, benefits and wellness, organizational culture, and people operations.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Psychology from UC Davis with a minor in French.
Connect with me about
People operations; Health and wellness; Benefits program design; Culture building; Employee experience
Fun Facts
Languages Spoken: English (native), French (conversational), Spanish (beginner), Italian (beginner)
Favorite Food: Gnocchi
Favorite Quote: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
Favorite Books: Skyward Series by Brandon Sanderson; The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Favorite Things: Spending time with her husband, son, and golden retriever, Khione; trying new recipes; nature walks; gaming; and going to the movies
Food She Struggles the Most Not to Waste: Veggies
ReFED's work is made possible with generous support from and in partnership with our funders.