Lauren leads the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia as President & CEO. The Council, united with Citizen Diplomacy International, is the region’s largest and oldest international affairs nonprofit with a combined 130 years of expertise in connecting Philadelphia to the world. The Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit that promotesspeaker programs, youth education, travel, and professional exchanges. The Council hosts global delegations and travelsthe world reaching more than 125 countries annually.

Previously, she was Deputy Commerce Director of International Business & Global Strategy for the City of Philadelphia. With a focus on global business attraction, foreign direct investment, and promoting exports, her work created hundreds of jobs and strengthened the local economy. She crafted the globalstrategy for Philadelphia and hosted delegations, diplomats, business and investors from abroad, and represented the City of Philadelphia worldwide. Lauren has also served asthe Deputy Director at the trade association, Food Export USA – Northeast, working to promote U.S. exportsin over 40 countries around the world, producing over $500 million in export sales annually. Lauren has experience running her own consulting firm specializing in international project management and food marketing. She haslived and worked abroad in Copenhagen and London. Lauren is the Honorary Consul of Sweden for Pennsylvania, serving as the Swedish government’s liaison to the state. Lauren serves as a Board Member for the following organizations: Leadership Philadelphia; Women Against Abuse; Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Satell Institute, and Global Philadelphia Association. She is a member of the Sunday Breakfast Club and the Forum of Executive Women. She also serves on Pennsylvania Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. She earned a B.A. in Communications at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with minors in Business Economics, Spanish, and Philosophy. Lauren is an accomplished speaker at conferences and events around the world. Awards include “40 Under 40” Honoree in 2019 from the Philadelphia Business Journal and Temple University’s Fox School of Business International Business Partner of the Year in 2016-2017. She speaks some Danish and Spanish and has traveled for work and pleasure to over 25 countries