Laura Gentles

As the leader of DC’s Brand practice, Laura manages a team that works with a range of clients, from nationally-known consumer brands like VW, Starbucks, Hilton and Taco Bell to nationally-recognized cultural institutions like the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and James Madison’s Montpelier.

Laura serves as the client relationship manager for Edelman’s Hilton work. She leads strategy and program development for Hilton’s corporate and brand PR teams as well as the Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection, Tapestry Collection and DoubleTree by Hilton brands.

Prior to that, Laura led a 10th anniversary campaign to increase visitation and membership for the National Museum of the American Indian. And, she oversaw a communications campaign for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that designed to reposition the Museum and engage a broader audience through a four-city National Tour and two-day National Tribute.

Over the course of her career, Laura has worked to position and raise the visibility of a host of corporate, government and nonprofit clients including the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Tourism campaign, GE and Business Roundtable among others.

Before joining the Washington office, Laura worked in the tourism practice at Edelman Chicago. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.