Laura is an ordained minister and student affairs professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education and pastoral settings. In her work, Laura seeks to equip and empower individuals and institutions to identify, explore and critically reflect upon the ways they and others make meaning of their life and world to build more just and sustainable communities.

Her theological training comes from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California where she earned a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Multifaith Understanding and Engagement. Laura has provided interfaith leadership in campus and hospital settings, as well as served as a congregational minister and outdoor ministries director.

Prior to her degree and work in ministry, Laura earned a Master of Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont and worked in residential life, health promotion and academic advising at the University of California at Santa Cruz, as well as served as a multicultural educator and consultant.

Laura's writings include:

• More than Survival (2020) Interfaith America. Interfaith Youth Core.
• It's all about fugu: Discussing spirituality and religion on campus (2001). Developments 9(4). ACPA - College Student Educators International.
• Making Meaning: Providing Tools for an Integrated Identity in R.L. Sanlo (Ed.) Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender College Students: A Handbook for Faculty and Administrators. Greenwood Press (1998).

Interfaith Center Attendents provide a welcoming presence and assistance to all visitors while overseeing the evening activities at the Interfaith Center. If you are workstudy eligible for the 2020-21 school year and are interested in joining our team, please email Laura for more information.  

The Interfaith Center offers undergraduate students a for-credit, semester-long internship to explore what it means to support spirituality and religion on campus. It's an opportunity to develop programming, marketing, interfaith leadership, and group facilitation skills. The typical load is three credits (8-10 hours per week) as interns receive academic credit by enrolling in an online course designed to complement their internship experience (i.e., AS 190). Contact Laura if you are interested in learning more about the internship position.

Available to students enrolled in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration master's program (HESA), this semester-long practicum is an opportunity to understand and articulate the importance of engaging spirituality and religion in higher education, particularly at a public institution. This aspect of student affairs involves student identity development as well as equity and social justice by pursuing a more just, pluralistic campus community. Practicum students will increase their religious literacy and other competencies as they assist in developing and implementing knowledge, skill and relational development opportunities for students, staff and faculty.