About the Founder: Laura Woodard
Laura Woodard is the founder of GrassRoots Medical Marketing and a nationally-recognized leader with more than 30 years of marketing experience. Known by her peers as the “Medical Marketing Maven,” she has one mission: ensuring great doctors are found and chosen online.
A seasoned strategist, Laura has spent decades transforming organizations across healthcare, technology, education, and professional services. Her expertise spans digital and traditional marketing, communications, branding, reputation management, community outreach, advertising, and strategic planning. Within the healthcare realm, she has a proven ability to simplify complex marketing challenges so physicians can stay focused on what matters most — patient care.
She has also managed operations, sales, company growth, and rapid turnaround in her career, as well as serving as an advisor and executive team coach.
Before launching GrassRoots, Laura served in senior marketing roles managing for companies such as Tech Data, Florida’s Office of Early Learning, ROI Consulting, and Hillsborough County Public Schools, and later became a trusted Fractional CMO and consultant for organizations seeking clarity, growth, and stronger market positioning.
The Moment That Sparked GrassRoots
GrassRoots Medical Marketing began with a simple but surprising question: “Why is it so hard to find a great doctor online?”
That question struck Laura while helping her mother and aunt search for top specialists. As she sifted through search results, outdated websites, and inconsistent online profiles, she was stunned. Many highly-skilled, deeply-experienced physicians and true experts in their field were nearly invisible online.
Laura realized that independent physicians weren’t struggling because they lacked expertise — they were struggling because they lacked visibility. And if patients couldn’t find them, they couldn’t choose them. GrassRoots was born from that personal experience and a commitment to give independent doctors the strategic support they deserve.
A Mission Rooted in Advocacy
In addition to leading GrassRoots, Laura serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Mobility and Longevity, where she supports initiatives that advance orthopedic research, mobility, and healthy aging. She invests in her community and supports the people and organizations that make it stronger. Through her career, she has served in various roles for Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (Gubernatorial Appointee Member for Region 8), Economic Club of Tampa (Former Board Member & Past Interim Executive Director), The Junior League of Tampa, Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) at the University of South Florida (Awards Committee), Women in Healthcare (WIH), Sunshine State School Public Relations Association (Former Board Member in charge of Membership), Hillsborough Education Foundation (Advocate and Former Volunteer Mentor), Leadership Tampa Alumni (Member, Former Membership Committee), American Marketing Association & AMA Tampa Bay, University of South Florida’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) (Advisory Board).
Laura received her B.A. in Social & Behavioral Sciences from the University of South Florida. She is also an active speaker, mentor, and advocate for elevating the role of private practices in today’s corporatized healthcare environment.
Today, Laura leads GrassRoots Medical Marketing with a clear purpose: to help independent physicians compete, connect, and grow.