Laura Elena Fortes is a writer, artist, and the Administrative & Academic Services Director and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Performance Studies at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She was recently nominated for the Distinguished Administrator Award for the Tisch School of the Arts for the 2024 academic year. She holds an MA from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where her thesis, "Performing Pedagogies of Radical Difference," explored the intersection of critical arts pedagogy and performance practices. Laura also holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on modernist literature and art, particularly the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. 

At NYU, Laura oversees all departmental academic and administrative processes, including curriculum development, budget management, and faculty development. She advises MA and PhD candidates, teaches undergraduate courses on labor, leisure, care, and work, and leads workshops on various professionalization skills.

Laura is the founding editor of Orature, a journal featuring interviews and conversations with leading artists and theorists in the field of performance studies, including Vaginal Davis, Cherrie Moraga, Wendy Chun, Kathleen Stewart, and Amerlia Jones. Her creative work has appeared in fashion, film, television, and various publications, including W Magazine, The New Yorker, Vice, and collaborations with HBO, and Sony Music Entertainment. She has also administered programs with organizations like MoMA and MoMA PS1, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Film Society of Lincoln Center.