Director of Family Services
Laurel started her career working for her alma mater, Kalamazoo College, as the orientation coordinator and advisor for incoming students. She moved to Nevada to earn her Master’s degree in English from the University of Nevada, concentrating on literature of trauma. She taught at English and cultural studies at the college level for six years. Then she worked as an independent education consultant before joining the Davidson Institute in 2015. In her previous roles, Laurel found the support she could offer students limited. Thus, she appreciates the whole child, whole family approach that the Davidson team takes in their work.
In her time at the Davidson Institute, Laurel has moved from Family Consultant to Senior Family Consultant to Team Manager, and she currently serves as Director of Family Services. She is honored to lead the resourceful and dedicated Family Services team as they provide one-on-one support to the families in the Davidson community. She also enjoys her work with the Director of Community Engagement and the Director of Outreach to bring resources and family services to larger audiences, including the virtual programs she hosts for Davidson parents.
Laurels lives in Sparks with her husband and her small, grumpy pup, Gus, in a 1940s home built originally built for rail workers; the railroads were the big industry in Sparks until the late 1950s. As you might guess, Laurel loves visiting museums and historical sites. She also enjoys reading (especially educational theory, fantasies, psychology, romances, social theory, and mysteries), cheering for her favorite hockey and soccer/football teams, eating/finding good restaurants/trying new foods and recipes (anything with some spice and/or lots of garlic and/or lots of cheese), attending live shows, watching heist and adventure movies, and travelling. A few of her favorite places are St Albans, England; Giverny, France; Hay-on-Wye, Wales; Sasbachwalden, Germany; and every inch of Scotland.