Biography:

Lauren joined the Colored Conventions Project (CCP) as the project manager and digital scholarship librarian in 2018. In 2020 she moved to Penn State with CCP to launch the Center for Black Digital Research (CBDR) as the Center-wide digital scholarship librarian and managing director. Lauren works with students, faculty, librarians, and partners to implement, develop, and manage digital scholarship and publishing projects. As a member of the CBDR Exec Team, she drives the implementation of the Center’s strategic goals, manages the delivery on Center partnerships and collaborations, participates in grant writing and management, and oversees that the organizational, financial, and technological infrastructures meet the immediate and long-term needs.

Lauren has a MLIS degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a specialization in archives and digital curation. Her bachelors degree is in Visual Sociology: Struggle and Resistance from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands. In 2024, she was awarded the Sally W. Kalin Librarianship for Technological Innovations (2024-2027) to research how a student-engaged community archives model could map onto the Penn State Libraries’ digital ecosystem.

Prior to becoming a librarian, Lauren worked in the publishing field, primarily at non-profit and education organizations, for more than 20 years promoting underrepresented voices, communities, and histories. Through this work, she experienced publishing’s digital evolution and how this transforms the way we communicate ideas, stories, and histories.

Her technical work includes managing digital platforms, database projects, website migrations, and web development.