Staff

Laurel joined YW Boston in November 2022 as an InclusionBoston Manager. For more than a decade, Laurel enjoyed serving in a variety of Student Affairs roles on college campuses within the New England area, including Roger Williams University (RWU), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Berklee College of Music. A love of storytelling and a desire to help others uncover their potential as leaders and change agents have both been driving forces in Laurel’s professional journey thus far, and she’s excited to continue both alongside the amazing team at YW Boston.

During her time at RWU, Laurel co-created and co-facilitated a discussion group for male-identified students called The Locker Room; the curriculum was grounded in both feminist and gender role conflict theory and was aimed at providing an affinity space for college men to challenge gender norms and to explore alternative, healthier definitions of masculinity. She also had the privilege of working alongside The RWU Women’s Center and the campus’ LGBTQIA+ student organization to co-author a proposal for a mini-grant to establish the first Gender Resource Center on campus (now known as the Queer and Trans Resource and Advocacy Center).

Most recently, Laurel served as the Senior Training Manager on the Human Resources team at the YMCA of Greater Boston, where her main focus was helping to advise and guide YMCA staff towards achieving various Leadership Certifications through the YMCA of the USA.

Laurel graduated from Ithaca College in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Roy H. Park School of Communication; additionally, she completed minors in Spanish and English. Laurel then had the opportunity to attend The University of Vermont for her graduate studies, where she completed a master’s degree in Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) in 2009. Outside of work, Laurel enjoys reading, creating, re-learning how to roller skate, pet sitting, and spending time with friends and family. She has also been known to engage in robust debates about who the “best” Batman is.