Project Manager
International Data Systems, LLC
FOCUS
Laura works toward a world in which all children are in safe, nurturing relationships and environments; the well-being of all families and communities is prioritized; and all people can lead lives of dignity and meaning. When children experience overwhelming amounts of stress (also called toxic stress), this can change the development of their brains, bodies, and genes, and can lead to higher risk of many leading health and social problems. This is particularly true if children under stress interact with systems that are not equitable and “trauma-informed” and that exacerbate or cause toxic stress, e.g., through punitive approaches in schools, through harmful imposition of toxic masculinity, and through racial inequities in punishment. Likewise, medical, educational, justice system and other institutional approaches that alienate families contribute to developmental traumas in children. A multidisciplinary and intergenerational approach to health and justice that considers multiple kinds of oppression and many possibilities for liberation is what informs all of Laura’s work—from public health research and communications to grassroots policy advocacy and volunteering for political campaigns, to her art and writing and the parenting of her two young children.
Laura works for an Alaska Native consulting firm managing health equity and child well-being-related projects. Her CoHL Strategic Initiative is focused on child-care access and affordability, and parent and caregiver-informed policy change to improve the childcare system and decrease racial, immigration status, geographical, and language-based inequities. This initiative intersects with her advocacy in the grassroots parent and caregiver group Growing Alaskan Leaders, of which she is a co-lead.
MORE ABOUT LAURA
Laura is a passionate advocate for children and families, a teacher, system changer and activist. She is also a mother, athlete, artist, community builder, gardener and wild foods harvester, and a lover of Alaska’s land and water. She focuses her work, activism, and writing on the importance of healthy and equitable child development for intergenerational and community well-being, and how to undo the familial and systemic traumas that harm us.
LAURA’S WORK AND VISION
- Vibrant Economy, Strong Workforce, Thriving Families: A Guide to Trauma-Informed Policy Decision-Making (Alaska Children’s Trust)
- MARC Podcast Series, Episode 2: The Role of a Backbone Organization
- Afterschool programs and a trauma-informed approach (Afterschool Alliance)
- “We’ve been here for millennia, & we’re not going to lose the battle to COVID-19.” (International Data Systems, LLC)
- The dynamics of DV/SV & Reproductive Coercion & its Impacts on Health & Health – Part 1 of 3 (ANTHCepicenter)
- History & Hope: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, & Trauma-Informed Care (Alaska Resilience Initiative)
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