I’m Lauren. Fort Worth, Texas native. Former competitive figure skater. Environmental philosopher. Travel enthusiast. Runner. Step-mom. I like being outdoors. I prefer experiences over material things and I like quality over quantity. A good portion of my life has been defined by academics. I went to college at 16 and eventually began the lengthy process of a PhD after receiving my Master’s Degree from the University of North Texas, all the while attending school part-time and maintaining full-time jobs.
Professionally, I have had many titles over the past 10+ years: Environmental Specialist, Assistant Director of Sustainability, Project Manager, Green Building Consultant, Safety & Health Specialist… all of which sound uniquely official yet are similarly obscure without an accompanying contextual description. The proverbial follow-up question, “So what does that mean you do?,” quick to follow. But in all of these positions, the enduring qualification has been that of a facilitator.
Definitionally, a facilitator is someone who makes an action or process easy or easier. Typically, a facilitator is considered an educator, transmitting knowledge to others. In today’s world in which we are bombarded by information at breakneck pace, the role of facilitator has become even more valuable. Expert facilitators discern knowledge from noise and provide simple solutions to complex problems. Facilitators connect the dots in a seemingly chaotic web of possibilities, drawing upon experience and predictive capabilities that are unbound by rigidly defined roles and responsibilities. The facilitator is fluid. ASW gives me the opportunity to facilitate, to help clients find solutions, perform better, and be creative.
