Lauren has extensive experience in policy design, development, implementation, evaluation and strategy. Her experience spans numerous sectors, including education and training; health; social welfare; non-profit governance; and social welfare. Prior to joining dandolo, Lauren worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, both in Canberra-based roles and as a diplomat in Pakistan. She has also previously worked as a Research Officer on the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and has held various roles in not-for-profit organisations and research institutions.   

Influential work:  

• Working with a Commonwealth-funded skills organisation as its evaluation partner

• Supporting two leading Australian arts organisations to develop organisational strategies

• Providing research and advice on strengthening pathways to attract mid-career professionals into teaching

• Developing an evaluation approach for a ten-year national workforce strategy for the children’s education and care sector

• Investigating options for government to improve student mental health and wellbeing in the VET sector

• Advising a not-for-profit organisation on its approach to government engagement and advocacy

• Producing a monitoring, evaluation and learning reporting approach for a place-based organisation

• Assessing the impact of a book-gifting program on early literacy outcomes

• Developing evaluation approaches for evaluations of advanced apprenticeship pilot programs; and microcredentials programs

• Producing a policy insights paper for a non-profit client on an early years health initiative

• Scoping options for the development of policy institutes for a large Australian philanthropic organisation

Prior to dandolo Lauren worked as: 

• A diplomat at the Australian High Commission in Pakistan

• A policy officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australian Agency for International Development

• A program officer at an international development not-for-profit organisation, International Senior Lawyers Project

• A research officer in the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Lauren has a masters degree in Law from Columbia University, and a double bachelor’s degree in Law and Arts (Political Science) from the Australian National University.