As a Design Director, Lauren brings a design research approach informed by sociology, community development, and service design. In her design practice, Lauren prioritizes participatory approaches and is passionate about fostering solutions that further agency, choice, and self-determination. Her experience ranges from advocacy and grassroots development for workers’ rights in Central America to implementing award-winning, community-led technology design for accountable healthcare in West Africa.

Prior to joining IDEO.org, Lauren was a Principal at The Australian Centre for Social Innovation where she co-designed an evidence-informed model of foster care, supported Indigenous-led strategies to reduce over representation in the justice system, provided shoulder-to-shoulder capability building to government in the client-led design of inclusive family-violence reform; and developed a systems thinking playbook for and with funders. Before that, she was a Service Designer for Reboot, partnering with the World Bank, USAID, and the NYC Mayor's office of criminal justice to increase global opportunities for social inclusion and accountability.

Lauren holds an M.A. in Social Design and a B.A. in Sociology. Lauren’s writing about design and social change has been featured in Design and Culture, Fast.co.exist, and the books Developing Citizen Designers and the Social Design Reader. When not at IDEO.org, Lauren is practicing Ottolenghi and Anna Jones recipes, finding a good hike or long walk, and deep in thought over Rebecca Solnit, Arturo Escobar and Adrienne Maree Brown.