Interview with Laura Neuman, Candidate for Governor of Maryland

Growing up in East Baltimore

Laura was born and raised in East Baltimore, starting out in Baltimore City Public Schools. Both of her parents were high school dropouts. Her father struggled with addiction, and both her parents had arrest records. During one of her mother’s fits of rage, Laura was given a concussion on Christmas Day when she was 11 years old. It was at that moment Laura decided she would leave as soon as she was able. In the meantime, Laura often took the bus to the library to escape, where she learned about a world beyond her own. By high school, she thought education would be her path to a new life and begged her parents to send her to a school with a college-preparation track. But the bus didn’t run that far, and after only one year, she was forced to drop out of high school.

It took a few more years, and several more tries to get back on her feet, but Laura never gave up. Over 12 years she lived in 19 different places and had 11 different jobs. She tried to attend college, but couldn’t afford tuition. Laura eventually built her own path to success, starting when she scanned the help wanted ads and came across a part-time job as a customer service rep for T. Rowe Price.

Just after turning eighteen, Laura escaped her abusive home with all of her belongings in a trash bag and lived out of her car while she saved her waitressing money for the down payment on an apartment. Two weeks after moving in, an intruder raped her at gunpoint. No one believed her. Not the police. Not even her own mother. Not only did the police not investigate her case, they walked her friends and family through how they believed she staged the entire thing, including pulling a red Keds sneaker out of her closet to match it up to the shoe print under the bedroom window. She was sent a bill for the rape examination and had to cancel her follow-up appointment because she did not have health insurance. For almost nineteen years, she carried the pink hospital discharge slip with her as the only proof that October 13, 1983 really happened.

Entrepreneurship Career

Laura wanted a career in business but was turned down for opportunities over and over because she did not have a college degree. Hard work eventually turned a part-time job at T. Rowe Price into a full-time position that gave her health benefits for the first time in her life. Laura refused to give up and moved up through smaller companies where credentials weren’t as important as what you contributed. While working at a direct mail firm, Laura conducted a meeting for a potential client, Loyola University in Maryland, and they suggested she apply to their MBA program. After a rigorous evaluation process, Laura was accepted to the program and earned an MBA from Loyola – without finishing high school or college. She was then invited to the prestigious Executive Program at Stanford Business School.

Read more here…

Laura Neuman – Story

Interview questions:

Your Story |Your life story is compelling. Can you share your childhood, education and entrepreneurial experiences?

Childhood Home | Tell us about visiting your childhood home and its impact on your decision to run for Governor?

The Run |You are the 9th candidate to join the 2022 race for the Democratic nomination. What were the motivations and rationale to enter a very competitive race? What is your path to victory?

Democrat | As Anne Arundel Country executive, you were a Republican. What was the reason for becoming an independent and then ultimately a Democrat?

Issues |What do you consider the critical issues in the campaign? How will you address the following issues? Economy, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Civil Right

Polarity | How will you address the issue of polarity in governing Maryland?

Baltimore City | What are your plans for addressing the issues of Baltimore City?

Why Laura Neuman | Why should the citizens of Maryland elect Laura Neuman?

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn