By Judy Carmack Bross
“Fifty percent of our senior leadership team at the Bears is composed of women, and in a sport that is dominated by men, that is an impressive statistic.”—Laura Anderson who became Senior Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer for the Bears May 1.
We spoke to Anderson in her Lake Forest office just before the team returned for summer training after July 4, and the former Big Ten Conference executive said that her role is to “make sure we are positioned financially to be a championship team.”
Laura Anderson, Senior Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer, the Chicago Bears.
Anderson adds that a top initiative is being in the new stadium in the near future, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Anderson said. “We have some of the best fans in the world and we want to match their passion by building the stadium in the best location for them. Every day we are getting closer and closer, but it is definitely a three-to-four year project. Building a stadium is a huge project and we want to be thoughtful in our approach.”
A graduate of the University of Illinois, Anderson relished the opportunity to study at a Big Ten school. Her seven years of work at the Big Ten conference “gave me the opportunity for an inside view of college sports”. Earlier, she had worked for Athur Anderson in public accounting for several years.
She said her husband Scott once asked her not too long ago what would be her dream job. “Oh, I don’t know, I said, if I heard from the Chicago Bears.”
When she talks about the Bears she likes to think of the team as a metaphor for Chicago:
“Football on the face of it is gritty and tough like Chicago can be, but there is so much beauty and grace. Chicago has such a rich history and a broad diversity of residents, much like the Bears have a rich history and diverse set of athletes and front office members. Like the Bears, Chicago is tough but our style isn’t flashy or boastful. The real beauty is that we can all unify behind this team.”
Anderson grew up in Sterling, Illinois, on the Rock River almost to the Iowa border.
“It is very rural with many farms around. When I think of Illinois I think of these small towns. Football of course was a big part of our lives. Our high school stadium was built in the early 1900s, next to our high school – a wonderful brick building with cement columns. Every Friday night the whole town came out to watch the games whether or not you had a child on the team. I did that from the time I was a little kid.”
When Laura and Scott’s children Emma and Ryan were young they moved from the City to Naperville where Ryan became one of Naperville North High School’s team captains and played middle linebacker. “It was great watching one of my own play football,” Anderson said. “He now plays NCAA Division Two football at St. Anselm College. Located in the rolling hills of New Hampshire, it is a magical place to watch football.”
A Shining focus of Halas Hall, the Super Bowl XX Trophy from 1986
One of the joys of her first month on the job at the Bears Lake Forest headquarters was to walk the photo-lined walls, viewing legends like Red Grange, Walter Payton, and Bronko Nagurski. A photo and a player that speaks to her is of Mike Singletary who led the 1985 Bears to win the Super Bowl XX. “He was such a leader through example, totally professional. Even with his helmet on he had this look in his eyes that showed such determination. Off the field photos show a quiet man with glasses.”
Anderson is proud of her University of Illinois connection with Bears founder George S. Halas who as a student football player helped Illinois win the 1918 Big Ten Conference title. “When he moved to Decatur he worked for the A.E. Staley starch company. He was asked to start a company-sponsored football team named the Decatur Staleys and chose the Illini colors of orange and navy as the team’s colors. The Staleys would be one of the original franchises of the league that would become the NFL. He moved the team to Chicago in 1921 and they played first at Wrigley Field. He soon changed the team’s name to the Chicago Bears, giving a nod to the Cubs.”
When Anderson’s children were little, she took time off from work, caring for her children and volunteering for a number of service organizations including the Junior League of Chicago where she was President.
“I have been blessed to learn from inspired volunteers and have the opportunity to make a difference with those of diverse voices,” Anderson said. “Particularly, for women having a time to focus on the different phases of life, from motherhood, to community, to career can be a real opportunity. I left the paid workforce a little fearful but found that when I returned the workforce the skills that I had added through voluntarism and motherhood added new pieces to what I could do. After 30 years in the workforce I feel so fortunate to be serving a Chicago institution like the Bears.”
“The calm before the storm” is how Anderson described that day just before the team returned to training camp after a much-needed break. “From mid-July until our first game, everyone will be working so hard. With our new coach Ben Johnson and our amazing roster of players, I have a feeling fans have much to look forward to this year,” Anderson predicted.
Photos by Bailey Black
