Can you give us a brief introduction of who you are and what you do in your current organization?

My name is Lauren, I moved here to the Triangle about a year ago from south-central Pennsylvania. My background is in graphic design, and I currently work in marketing at Oxford University Press.

Why did you join BPW and what positions have you held during your tenure with BPW?

After moving here, I didn’t know a single person. I was going to a lot of different networking events, just going anywhere to try to find something that was a fit, but nothing really stuck. The day beforehand, I found out about the BPW panel that consisted of 3 female politicians from North Carolina. And I moved here from a place where no one really pays much attention to civic engagement or anything like that, so as soon as I came here I knew this was “the one”!

What hobbies/interests do you have outside of work?

I used to kickbox – that was really fun! I’d like to get back to that at some point. Recently my husband and I made it a goal to visit every professional baseball stadium in the state. We’ve been to 2 so far!

Who is your favorite superhero and why?

Quick funny story first: When the Avengers came out a few months ago, my coworkers knew I hadn’t seen it and they were very nice and tried to tiptoe around spoilers. And I had to tell them, listen, I’m like 19 movies behind… so don’t even worry about it! Just not my thing.

So anyway, my favorite “superhero” is a little unconventional, but I’m going to go with Hermione from Harry Potter. She’s clever, she’s determined… and I think she’s the first character to really get the big picture and to fight for the idea that no one is free unless everyone is free.

What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

Dishes.

What would you do for a career if you were not doing what you are doing now?

I always wanted to design for a professional sports team. That didn’t quite turn out, but I was really lucky to spend my first few years after school in a job I loved with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. I’d be interested in working for an environmental agency again someday. Part of my job was designing and publishing a quarterly magazine, so I’m interested, too, in getting a feel for the magazines around town and one day designing for one of them.

How do you define success?

I would define success as “never settling”. One of my favorite quotes (I’m not sure who to give credit to for it… I actually saw it on a sign on the side of the road) is “all I want to be is someone who makes new things and thinks about them”.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

Learn another language—maybe Italian—or play an instrument.

What has been your most interesting job and why?

I worked at DNR between the time I graduated college and when I ended up here. That was great because I got to do a lot of different things for something I really care about. I was the graphic designer, and also did some marketing, some writing; just a whole bunch of different stuff. One thing I’ll never forget, though, was early one spring I got to go along for a bear den survey. The biologists sedated the mama bear to do a health check and make sure the batteries on her tag were good. In the meantime I got to hold and keep one of the cubs warm, which was just so sweet!

What can BPW do to support you?

Just keep existing. I love events like this. Like I said, I didn’t know a single person when I moved here and it’s just been really great getting to know everyone!