In September 2021, Laura Aikens became Grand Valley State University's Vice President for University Development and the Executive Director of the Grand Valley University Foundation. Laura Aikens has spent her career helping nonprofit organizations work with donors to create systemic change.

Aikens is a native of West Michigan who earned a bachelor's degree from Hope College and a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. She spent 12 years with the nation's pre-eminent fundraising consulting, advising clients across the nonprofit continuum including public, private, and historically Black colleges and universities.

A popular speaker, Aikens has presented at regional and national gatherings for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Giving USA, and was a featured expert in the national roll-out of the U.S. Trust Fund of High Net Worth Philanthropy.