Lauren Feldman (She/They)
Effective September 18th, Lauren Feldman (she/they) has been named the Assistant Director for Gender Equity and Sexuality in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
In this role, Lauren will oversee, coordinate, and assess campus gender equity initiatives, women's programs, and LGBTQIAP+ programs and services at WPI. Lauren will provide leadership and strategy to advance the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and pansexual (LGBTQIAP+) undergraduate and graduate students at WPI and beyond.
"Lauren joins the Division of Talent and Inclusion during a very exciting time for the University and our students as we chart our path forward with new leadership. Continuing our dedicated focus in designing and maintaining support services and programs for our LGBTQIAP+ students remains a strategic priority for WPI. I am excited Lauren will be assisting ODIME in leading these efforts."
–Dr. Lauren Turner (She/Her), Senior Vice President for Talent and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer
In this role, Lauren will also advance gender equity and women's programs by creating learning experiences and initiatives to support WPI women, non-binary students, and students of other genders to build community and facilitate a meaningful sense of belonging. Lauren will collaborate with campus partners and stakeholders to advocate and support female-supporting student clubs/organizations at WPI. Additionally, Lauren will support the ODIME team in managing the coordination of campus-wide affinity month and high holiday celebrations.
"I am excited Lauren will be joining the ODIME team in support of our students. Lauren brings valuable insights and expertise from student life which will complement the skills sets of the current team as we revitalize and continue implementing ODIME's strategic plan. The work that has been underway for the last few years will now have a new leader and content expert, and I am excited to see Lauren bring their voice, vision, and passion to life for our students and the WPI community.
–Arnold Lane, Jr. (He/Him), Director of Multicultural Education and Community Engagement
Lauren received their Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology and their Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Music from Ursinus College (Collegeville, PA). They received their Master of Education (M.Ed.) in College Student Affairs from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ). In order to provide students with holistic support, Lauren uses empathy and a student-centered philosophy. Their previous work experiences are in numerous areas of student affairs, specifically residence life, sexual violence prevention, and pre-college programs. Lauren loves music, Disney, as well as trying new cooking and baking ideas.
"My goal as a student affairs practitioner is to provide an accessible, inclusive space for students to find community, activism, and joy. I am excited for the opportunity to support trans, non-binary, women, and queer students at WPI and to build long-lasting connections both within these communities on campus and across the entire WPI community."
–Lauren Feldman (She/They), Assistant Director for Gender Equity and Sexuality
The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) promotes and oversees all student facing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) learning experiences, programs, services, trainings, and initiatives for WPI.