Laura was born and raised in West Virginia, growing up in the small town of Ravenswood in Jackson County. She attended West Virginia University where she obtained her degree in Landscape Architecture. She worked in the Washington metro area for a decade before returning home to West Virginia. She has served in a variety of roles for both private firms and government agencies and has led Planning Departments and Landscape Architecture Practices in Virginia and West Virginia. In total she has more than forty years’ experience in an array of planning and design-related positions. In 2018 she began Laura Cox Planning and Design and from the beginning Grant Writing has been the cornerstone service of her business. She and her associates apply for and administer a variety of grants for her many clients. She also creates and updates land use ordinances and has designed many public spaces.