Laura Ricketts

Personal life

Ricketts and her three siblings grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She is the daughter of John Joseph ("Joe") and Marlene Margaret Ricketts (née Volkmer).

Ricketts' father, J. Joseph Ricketts , founded Ameritrade when Laura was 7. J. Joseph Ricketts let it be known that he wanted his children to establish themselves through their own hard work and would not be allowed to join TD Ameritrade until they reached the age of 30.

Laura Ricketts is a former corporate lawyer. She lives with her partner on the North Side of Chicago. Ricketts received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1994, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1998. Laura talks of her own struggle to come out; "I came out to my family I would say early to mid 90s. I think for a long time I wasn't really out to myself growing up in Omaha, Neb., to a Catholic conservative family. It took me a while to come out to myself and not long after that I came out to them. I think that it really couldn't have been a better experience. They were all immediately supportive. ... I have been really really fortunate in that regard."

On June 6, 2010, Ricketts married Brooke Skinner. Skinner is an employee at Twitter. Their wedding was officiated by Jim Bennett, the Midwest Director of Lambda Legal.

Ricketts is one of four children. Older brother J. Peter Ricketts is the current governor of Nebraska. Her brother Tom is chairman of the Chicago Cubs, and the chief executive officer of Incapital LLC. He is also a director of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. Her youngest brother, Todd also lives in Chicago.

In 2013, Ricketts was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

Political involvement

Ricketts is a Democrat, unlike her parents and her siblings (who are all notable Republicans). Ricketts is liberal and a LGBTQ activist. Ricketts is the chairwoman of LPAC, a lesbian Super PAC.

Ricketts was a top bundler for Barack Obama's re-election campaign during the 2012 presidential election.

Ricketts was also a supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign in the Democratic primaries and the general election. In announcing LPAC's April 2015 endorsement of Clinton, Ricketts said, "We are proud to endorse Hillary Clinton as she begins her run for the White House. Hillary is an unyielding advocate for LGBTQ women. Our endorsement today represents LPAC’s strong support of her candidacy."

Ricketts was a top bundler for the Clinton campaign. Clinton herself personally attended a campaign fundraiser that Laura and her wife Brooke hosted at their Wilmette home in July 2016.

In addition to supporting Clinton as a donor and fundraiser, Ricketts supported several Democrats running for other offices in the 2016 elections. Ricketts gave personal donations that year to Jan Schakowsky's congressional re-election campaign, Tammy Duckworth's senate campaign, Maggie Hassan's senate campaign, and Russ Feingold's senate campaign. Ricketts also donated to the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committeebenefiting both state parties and the Clinton campaign.

Ricketts served as an Illinois superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Chicago Cubs

On July 6, 2009, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Ricketts family had reached an agreement with the Tribune Company to purchase the Cubs, Wrigley Field, and 25% of Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Final approval came by a unanimous vote of the other MLB owners in an October 6, 2009, conference call. On October 27, 2009, the Ricketts family, with Thomas S. Ricketts as board chairman, officially took over 95% ownership of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and 25% ownership of Comcast SportsNet Chicago for a purchase price of $845 million. The Tribune retained 5% ownership.

Laura Ricketts joins her three brothers, Tom, Pete and Todd, on the board of the Chicago Cubs. Her brother Tom is the chairman and led the acquisition. NBC Sports highlights the significance of Laura Ricketts ownership standing: "Not only has there never been an openly gay sports team owner before, but there have been next to no gay players -- at least none who were willing to admit it before their retirement." Christman of NBC Sports was able to cite three cases in MLB history of job loss suspectedly due to sexual orientation. Christman adds that "perhaps with a lesbian now on the board of a Major League team, some athlete will be able to come out of the closet while still working in a professional sports franchise and not lose their job."

Lambda Legal

Laura Ricketts serves on the National Leadership Council of Lambda Legal, the "nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and people living with HIV/AIDS". Laura Ricketts' work with Lambda Legal's Midwest Regional Office in Chicago has advanced lesbian and gay legal rights in the Midwest, including several legal victories. Most prominent are Lambda Legal's efforts toward Same Sex Marriage legalization in Iowa, 2009, where Laura served in a leadership and financier role. Camilla Taylor, Senior Staff attorney for Lambda Legal, is known as the "lead architect" of Varnum v. Brien, in which the Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 2007 district court ruling that said it was unconstitutional for Iowa to bar same-sex couples from marrying. Laura Ricketts' philanthropy includes support for other charitable organizations like the Housing Opportunities for Women organization and Howard Brown Health Center, a Chicago provider of health services for LGBT people.