Laura Layden Cassidy, M.D., is a surgeon turned education advocate dedicated to transforming the future for children with dyslexia. A University of Alabama and UAB School of Medicine graduate, she built a distinguished surgical career, serving as Chief of Surgery at LSU Earl K. Long Hospital before focusing her life’s work on literacy. In 2013, she co-founded the first Louisiana Key Academy (LKA) and went on to found the charter school network providing evidence-based instruction for children with dyslexia, across multiple Louisiana parishes. She also founded the Dyslexia Resource Center to advance awareness, teacher training, and research. Partnering with leading Yale neuroscientists Drs. Bennett and Sally Shaywitz, Cassidy has published groundbreaking work on dyslexia in education and the criminal justice system. A speaker, media contributor, and legislative advocate, she is a national leader championing early screening and intervention so dyslexic children can access the power of reading.
Power of Innovation
Summit 2025 & Yass Prize Awards
December 4, 2025
Washington, D.C
Laura Cassidy
Founder, Louisiana Key Academy Schools
our speakers
