It’s time to meet another new member of the BOCA team. Say hello to Laura Golden, our Chief Culture Officer, who manages the BOCA office and helps make our company run more efficiently. She also keeps track of everyone’s birthday and brings the team bagels every Monday, which makes her pretty popular around here.
Laura is originally from the Bay Area and after being raised in Sunnyvale, California, she moved to Seattle to study theater with an emphasis on directing and stage management at the University of Washington. Her experience in theater management proved to be a good fit for PR office management and after moving back down to the Bay Area, she has spent ten years working in the PR world in San Francisco.
1.How would your friends and family describe you?
Easygoing, creative and likes to find the humor in life. Some of my hobbies include hiking, photography, playing with Photoshop and looking for new environmental and surrealistic artists. I also still like to direct plays and do one about every two years as a community builder and fundraiser for my Temple in Fremont. Last year at the play I directed at my temple had a cast consisting of around 60 to 80 people with an age range from four-year-olds to seniors in their eighties.
2.How did you hear about BOCA and what are your job duties?
Kathleen Shanahan (BOCA’s founder) and I have known each other since working together at Schwartz many years ago. She once told me that she was going to start her own agency and wanted me to come work for her when she did. The planets finally aligned and I couldn’t say “no.”
My title is Chief Culture Officer, and my job duties include office management, new biz research and basic culture development. I’m excited to be at BOCA and thrilled at the aspect of growing with the company.
3.If you could be an animal for a day what would you be?
When I was at the San Diego Zoo, there was a baby panda that fell out of a tree onto a bunch of leaves from a fairly high branch. I asked the docent doesn’t that hurt them? The docent replied, “No, actually, they bounce.” I’d be a panda because I’ve been in a lot of situations in life where bouncing back made a big difference.
4.What’s your favorite food?
My initial instinct is to say probably evil things that have too much sugar. Are Starbucks Frappuccinos a food group? Pizza was a favorite food of mine for many years, but I’d have to say now its really good fish tacos.
5.Where would you like to travel?
Europe, I’ve been there before and would go back to Italy again just for the food.
6.Which famous person would you like to have a 30-minute conversation with?
Robin Williams. I enjoyed his work and his comedy, and if I were to have a 30-minute conversation with him, he would still have to be alive to do it. I’m actually turned off by most “famous” people’s egos, but Robin was down to earth and certainly felt more real because of it.