Lauren Gockley made her operatic debut at the age of eight as “Trouble” in Madame Butterfly—a role she jokes was typecasting at its finest. The daughter of David Gockley, the legendary impresario of Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera, she grew up immersed in the world of music and performance.

Today, she carries that influence forward as an entrepreneur, chocolatier, and arts advocate. Trained at l’École du Grand Chocolat in France and named one of Dessert Professional’s Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America, Lauren is the Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Coda Signature, where she leads product innovation and brand development.

As a board member of the Carlisle Floyd Centennial, Lauren is honored to help celebrate and share the works of one of America’s greatest opera composers. She brings her lifelong connection to the arts—and her own creative career—to support the Centennial’s mission of ensuring that Floyd’s voice continues to resonate, inspire, and reach new audiences for generations to come.