Laura Richards Email & Phone Number

Dana Point, Ca, Us

Dana Point, California, United States

New York City Metropolitan Area

New York, New York, United States

Kampala, Uganda

Business Innovations for Good (BIG ideas) provides training in entrepreneurship and sustainable business development to women in East Africa. BIG ideas teaches women the essentials of Design Thinking and Market Validation, Business Modelling and User-Centered Design, Start-Up Financing and Financial Management, Sustainability Principles and Practice and Team Building and Leadership to help our clients spearhead their own businesses and advance the climate action agenda across the region. Our nonprofit model allows us to work with women who have the most outstanding business ideas, but would not otherwise be able to afford such training. Upon completion of the program, all the women are connected with long-term mentors and participants with viable businesses will be connected with potential funding opportunities.

Austin, Texas

• Grade and proctor exams for Business Finance and Financial Analysis. • Organize group projects, evaluate student progress, and facilitate student-professor communication.

Austin, Texas Area

• Evaluate health initiatives in Honduras.• Assess the impact of open data systems in multiple developing countries. • Design training and outreach materials to spur civic engagement around government transparency in developing countries.• Publish weekly analysis on the implications and activities of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on the Innovations for Peace and Development website: http://www.ipdutexas.org/aiib-blog1

New York, New York

I worked on a global team with a large healthcare organization on an initiative to build local capacity in the healthcare space in developing countries. We created a five-day Design Lab, where healthcare executives from several developing countries will come together to prototype and test solutions to the most pressing issues they are facing in developing countries. The solutions born from the Lab will serve as a platform to improve education and support for healthcare professionals across the globe.

Austin, Texas Area

• Research decision-making processes and best practices. • Develop methods and tools for teaching effective decision-making to executives. • Interview top executives at Fortune 500 companies regarding decision-making processes and tools within their companies.

Kampala, Uganda

• Create maps of women's equality and government accountability work implemented by host organization, The Women of Uganda Network. • Assist in the formation of Apac Women Entrepreneurs Association by developing creative solutions to challenges women entrepreneurs face in rural Uganda. • Collaborate with Voluntary Social Accountability Committees in Northern Uganda around mechanisms to ensure government accountability. • Train staff, faculty and student at the Resilient Africa Network at Makerere University in geo-coding, GIS, and research methods. • Coordinate and implement a Hackathon at Makerere University, where students compete to develop new and relevant technology to grapple with Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Change.

• Led team of 18 Behavioral Health Specialists, providing conflict resolution & guidance on therapeutic interventions. • Managed payroll, performance appraisals, hiring, corrective actions, and disciplinary actions. • Directed and developed the program further through trainings, team building, and providing staff support and feedback. • Created effective training materials for Behavior Specialists and wrote curriculum for mandatory therapeutic groups for clientele with severe cognitive and behavioral disorders.

Greater Seattle Area

• Received Individual Achievement Award in Dec 2014 for leadership and going above and beyond responsibilities and Team Achievement Award in Dec 2012 for effective collaboration during crisis. • School Liaison; collaborated with teachers on individualized incentive programs to improve clients’ performance. • Cultural Lead; coordinated cross-campus cultural events and collaborated with clients on individual presentations. • Facilitated a weekly group on social skills currently; facilitated groups on coping skills and cultural awareness.

Greater Seattle Area

• Instructed students at a private high school in French and Spanish languages and culture.

Corralitos, Ca

• Initiated team-building experiences for a group of 6, enhancing clients’ self esteem and ability to relate to others. • Spearheaded fundraising efforts to initiate a graduate retention program. • Coached 12 high-risk youth in transitioning to patterns of healthy behavior.

Santa Cruz, Ca

• Delivered presentations to classes to raise awareness about suicide and available resources for support. • Provided crisis management, counseling, and resources to suicidal callers. • Facilitated small group trainings for volunteers to increase competency and mitigate misjudgment.

Santa Cruz, Ca

• Taught English as a Second Language (ESL) courses enabling 13 students to communicate more effectively. • Developed and implemented program improvements, including the addition of a child ESL course, which tripled the participant retention rate.• Increased volunteer base by 200% through recruiting and training efforts.

Santa Cruz, Ca

• Developed and implemented educational and recreational activities for a group of under-served youths.

Santa Cruz, Ca

• Led a weekly section every week for twenty five students. • Supported students during my office hours. • Developed and implemented class itinerary. • Graded papers and proctored exams. • Assisted with the general administration of the course.

Santa Cruz, Ca

• Researched theories on youth empowerment, third space and critical consciousness. • Transcribed and coded qualitative data. • Contributed to an empowerment study with a group of under-served youth.

Santa Rosa, Ca

• Developed educational activities and an itinerary weekly for a kindergarten class. • Instructed twenty two students in basic Spanish language and culture.

Santa Rosa, Ca

• Volunteered to help students who were not yet fluent in English (primarily Spanish speakers) with their schoolwork.

Santa Rosa, Ca

• Provided youth crisis management and tutoring, enhancing self-confidence and academic performance. • Nominated President of the program for strengthening the training for new counselors. • Received Community Service Award for exceptional performance in developing the program.

Las Posadas,Ca

• Managed bi-weekly meetings for 30 staff ensuring efficiency and encouraging enthusiasm resulting in high productivity, staff satisfaction, and met deadlines. • Assigned jobs to staff, designed daily agenda and activities, handled staff and campers discipline issues.• Designed and led educational activities for 120 campers increasing campers’ knowledge base.

Las Posadas, Ca

• Designed and led educational activities for one hundred and twenty campers increasing campers’ environmental knowledge base.

Certificate, Sustainability

Master Of Business Administration - Mba

Master Of Global Policy

Master Of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Activities and Societies: VP of Social Impact, Net Impact; VP External Relations, Board Fellows, CATCH Global Foundation Board Member.

Master Of Global Policy Studies, Public Affairs, Cumulative Gpa: 3.83

Activities and Societies: Research Assistant, Innovations for Peace and Development; Graduate Public Affairs Council (GPAC); Student Life.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Intensive Psychology, Cumulative Gpa: 3.78

Activities and Societies: Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology; Research Assistant, Social Psychological Research; Golden Key.