Laura Ferrio, MSN, RN, CRRN, NEA-BC

About Me

Laura Ferrio is a creative executive with vast clinical, managerial and executive experience.

For more than 35 years, Laura has served Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions. In her current role as Chief Advancement Officer and President of the Keystone Board, she leads philanthropy and development efforts for the organization, increasing annual direct contributions, endowments and restricted funding. Funds support research and specialized programing within the state-of-the-art Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — the first-ever “translational” research hospital in which clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together in the same space, 24/7, surrounding patients, discovering new approaches and applying (or “translating”) research real time.

Laura began her career with the organization as a Nurse Intern, eventually working her way up to Chief Nurse Executive and Vice President of Patient Care and Services. In that role, she influenced decision-making in every clinical area, including patient-care units, therapy and research laboratories and ancillary departments. She also spearheaded efforts that resulted in Shirley Ryan AbilityLab receiving the Prestigious Magnet® Recognition — the first rehabilitation hospital in the country to secure this designation in recognition of its nursing professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. The extensive process for application that Laura developed and implemented laid the groundwork for the hospital to receive four successive Magnet® designations, a distinction achieved by only 3 percent of all U.S. hospitals for nursing care.

With philanthropic seed funding, Laura co-founded Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s LIFE Center, which now houses the largest collection of patient education and consumer health resources for people with functional impairments.

Laura holds a BS in Nursing from Northern Illinois University, as well as an MBA and MS in Nursing from Loyola University Chicago. She also completed a Fellowship for Nurse Executives at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A lifelong champion for nurses, Laura serves on the board of the American Nurses Foundation. She is the past president of both the Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders and the Illinois Coalition for Nursing Resources. She was named the Illinois Nurse Leader of the Year in 2004 and received a governor appointment to serve on the Illinois Board of Nursing, a role she held for a decade (2004-2014). In addition, Laura received the 2009 Outstanding Alumni Award for the College of Health & Human Sciences at Northern Illinois University.