Biography

As the Chief People Officer for First Watch, Laura Sorensen oversees all aspects of the employee experience, including staffing and people development, employee relations, diversity of strategic planning. She joined the First Watch team in 2016 with two decades of experience working in Human Resources for prominent brands. Most recently, she worked as a member of the executive team as the senior Vice President of Human Resources for Darden’s LongHorn Steakhouse, where she oversaw all Human Resources priorities and initiatives for nearly 500 restaurants and 30,000 employees. Before working with Darden, Laura served as the Director of Human Resources at Chico’s and as the strategic business partner to White House / Black Market brand president and executive team for all brand business functions. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Orlando chapter of the Adult Literacy League. Laura earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and an MBA with specialization in Human Resources management from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.