Laura Pritchard Henderson was born and raised in Skagit County.  She graduated from Mt. Vernon High School and attended Skagit Valley College and Western Washington University.  Her career in Human Resources started at Skagit Valley Hospital in 1981.  In 1995, Laura and her sister-in-law, left the corporate world and opened Wedding Belles, a successful bridal and special occasion boutique, in downtown Mt. Vernon in the historic Deming Jewelers building.  After 12 years, the shop was sold, and Laura returned to the Human Resources field.  She has held HR Manager roles at the Swinomish Casino, Zodiac Aerospace, Janicki Industries and most recently Frontier Building Supply.  Laura’s mother Carol Pritchard Jelinek, was the first SWAN woman of the year in 1986.