Entrepreneur and violinist Dr. Laura Colgate has earned a reputation for her artistic leadership, versatility, and commitment to gender equity in the arts. She is co-founder and Executive and Artistic Director of Boulanger Initiative, a non-profit organization which advocates for women composers through education, performance, commissions, and consulting, and which recently launched with WoCo (women Composers) Fest, a historic 3-day festival in Washington, D.C. Her Doctoral thesis, “Half of Humanity Has Something to Say, Also: Works for Violin By Women Composers,” focuses on increasing recognition of prominent and lesser-known women composers. She curates chamber music series for multiple arts presenting organizations including Strathmore Hall and National Philharmonic, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland where she teaches Financial Entrepreneurship for Arts Leaders. Having performed worldwide on stages including the Barbican Centre, Kennedy Center, and multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, Colgate is also concertmaster of National Philharmonic (MD). She was previously concertmaster of Greenville Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina as well as the El Paso Symphony Orchestra.