The Austin Young Chamber would like to recognize and pay tribute to this year’s ChangeMaker finalists. The ChangeMaker Awards, presented by UFCU, are part of the 5^th Annual ChangeMaker Luncheon on February 16, 2018. This year’s nine finalists are inspiring leaders who have a passion for dedicating time and talent to successfully make a difference in our community. Throughout the weeks to come, we will honor these individuals one at a time.

---

Laura Maniccia

Owner | Pediatric Healthcare Connection

Laura is a Texas native, born in Corpus Christi and has lived in Austin for nearly 9 years when she and her husband relocated for his job. At the time, Laura stayed home with their newborn but quickly became interested in a flexible job that would allow the opportunity to work from home while utilizing her professional skills. She purchased a franchise of a Mom and Baby exercise program and within four years had grown from four to ten locations, expanded the Instructor team, and reached hundreds of Moms in Austin by creating a safe, fun and encouraging environment for a workout that moms could do with their babies. Over those years she added multiple programs, always driven by her passion to help moms find their village. After their son was born in 2014 with a severe bleeding disorder, Laura and her husband Don put their heads together to create a pediatric home care agency that would be different from the others. Between the franchise, a new baby, three other children, and this new venture, Laura sold Fit4Mom Austin in 2015 and concentrated on building Pediatric Healthcare Connection to again, foster a village for these families where they felt good about the care of their children. Still working flexibly with young children, Laura has taken on a role of Talent Acquisition Specialist, that concentrates on finding staff with the heart that they would look for to care for their own medically complex son.