Laurel (she/her/hers) joined the University of Minnesota in July 1997 as the Student Programs Coordinator for Community Involvement Programs and became the Community Engagement and Service-Learning lead in 2000. Laurel stepped down from being the Director of CCEL in April 2026 and is now serving as Community Partnership Liaison and Special Assistant to the Vice Provost for Public Engagement. Laurel has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Gender and Women's Studies from Luther College and a Masters of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development from the Ohio State University. She is a recipient of the President's Award for Outstanding Service to the University and the staff recipient of the Outstanding Community Service Award. Laurel has served on several community and higher education professional association boards. She lives in North Minneapolis with her dog, Poppy, and enjoys gardening, listening to audio books, vegetarian cooking, and various creative artistic pursuits.
