Laura Hanson
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.— Coretta Scott King
Laura is a natural facilitator, community-builder and problem-solver. She likes to dream big, imagine the best possible outcomes, and then plot a realistic course to get as close as possible to that shared vision.
Laura believes in the power of community and human connection to drive transformative change. Her career has focused on mitigating the impacts of natural disasters and climate change for communities across the globe. She brings both international nonprofit and domestic public sector experiences that inform her approach to coalition building and stakeholder engagement. She is passionate about advancing global efforts to promote human and environmental health, to advance social equity, and to build a safer and more just home for future generations.
Her areas of expertise include:
- Leading diverse multi-disciplinary coalitions to achieve shared goals.
- Intercultural engagement that promotes inclusion and shared learning.
- Natural hazard and climate resilience research, planning and programming.
- Planetary health, agriculture development and food systems change.
Experience
Prior to her work at MG/ISMG, Laura has 18 years of leadership experience providing strategy and project management in international development and domestic regional planning. Her sectors of expertise include disaster and climate resilience, governance, community and economic development, and human health and nutrition. Some of her prior roles include:
- Senior Regional Planner for the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization in Portland, Oregon, where she led complex regional planning projects to advance preparedness for the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and other natural and climate-driven hazards.
- Program Director at Mercy Corps for a regional resilience program in South and Southeast Asia addressing climate-driven natural hazard risks in disproportionately impacted agrarian communities, by deploying market-driven development best practices.
Laura has a Bachelor of Arts from Seattle Pacific University in Political Science and Latin American Studies, and a Masters of Business Administration certificate from Portland State University’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. She is also a certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) and Functional Blood Chemistry Specialist (FBCS).
In Community
Laura is a member of the Planetary Health Alliance, and volunteers time with the Planetary Health Friendship and Biodiversity Team, a small global cohort of doctors, nurses and nutritionists working on the intersection of biodiversity and human health with the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge.
Every week, Laura dances Kizomba and she skis all winter. During the summer she loves to hike and go camping with friends. She eats a steady diet of fresh tortilla chips and Sikil Pak from her partner’s Mexican restaurant in North Portland.