Laura Walton is a strategist and creative producer currently serving as Special Projects & Lab Assistant to the Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis (DUPSA) at USC.
Previous to USC, Laura served as a Program Manager at Agency Noir, a West Coast production agency specializing in real estate media and amenities-focused storytelling for developers in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston. Her work spans placemaking campaigns, brand strategy, and video content production for leading clients such as Skanska, Steelcase, and Gemdale , amplifying development narratives through community and design-driven lenses.
Prior to Agency Noir, Walton worked as a Strategist at Burns Group NYC, where she led consumer insight and brand innovation projects across the CPG, tech, and luxury sectors. She has also held research and production roles with international NGOs, including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the International Peace Institute and Religions for Peace at the United Nations, where she coordinated the Ethics in Action summit, managing logistics for over 50 global religious leaders. Walton has worked professionally across the fields of creative strategy, production, and international policy since 2018. Her specialized expertise includes ethnographic research, spatial storytelling, and cultural placemaking.
She holds a BFA in Integrated Design and a BA in Global Studies from Parsons School of Design at The New School University in New York City and is currently pursuing a Master of Urban Planning with a concentration in Economic Development at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She is a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow and a 2016 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar.
Walton’s current work explores how creative media, planning history, and strategic communication intersect to shape equitable, sustainable urban development. She is interested in contributing to public-private partnerships, economic development initiatives, and regionally impactful real estate strategies following completion of the Ross Program. Laura Walton resides in Los Angeles with frequent visits to New York and Arkansas for professional matters—with goals to nurture development in both urban/rural settings.
Email: lauraelisewalton@gmail.com