Lauren has been with iDE since April 2021, first in the capacity of the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Director and now as the Senior Director of Technical Programming. Her interest in international development began in 2011 as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Morocco where she worked with a cooperative of women embroiderers to bring their products to the tourist market. She has since worked to support small business owners and create linkages between universities and their communities in her roles with the Alaska Small Business Development Center, Robert Gordon University and Skills Development Scotland. She earned a PhD from Robert Gordon University Business School and brings a strong background in both qualitative and quantitative research. Lauren is a believer in market-based approaches to ending poverty and supports iDE in safeguarding best practices and cross-department collaboration. She also holds an MBA from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a BA in marketing from Umass Dartmouth.