Laurel Felt, Phd Email & Phone Number

Dakar Region, Senegal

I lead the OASIS Center, a research-and-action hub headquartered in Africa. Our mission is to empower partners in Africa and beyond with the world’s best talent and most promising approaches for unlocking the power of socially impactful storytelling. Our research solutions and liaison services include: one-of-a-kind datasets; innovative methods and metrics; actionable insights; practical tools and trainings; matchmaking support; and brokering assistance. Collectively, our contributions support the production of stories that drive engagement, catalyze change, and accelerate societal shifts towards equity and justice.As Managing Director, I collaborate with the OASIS leadership team to establish and grow our center. I also spearhead projects that mine OASIS's expertise. Additionally, I support ongoing RAES efforts, including RAES's stewardship of its international C'est La Vie! (CLV) program and its leadership of strategic communication efforts for a West African public health and advocacy campaign.CLV is RAES's flagship project. Centered around a dramatic serial of the same name and complemented with various traditional media, digital media, and community-based strategies, CLV aims to: disseminate scientifically accurate and culturally appropriate information to a wide audience; stimulate personal reflection and collective debates on social norms; and encourage the adoption of safer behaviors in terms of sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and gender-based violence. Across Africa and the global diaspora, CLV exposure is in the whopping triple-digit millions.I add value by ensuring that these efforts align with theory and evidence-based best practices, and by crafting impactful communication products.

Los Angeles, California, United States

Design learning solutions, conduct mixed methods research, and translate findings. Notably, I was the learning designer for the Barbie Dream Gap Curriculum, an interactive, multimedia experience developed for children ages 5 to 7, intended to help close the Dream Gap by inspiring their limitless potential to learn, work, and lead. It leveraged the latest research in developmental psychology, was aligned to social and emotional learning (SEL) standards, and featured three lovable puppets + me! Across its various iterations and pilots -- pre-pandemic = in-classroom intervention; pandemic-era = remote learning solution; post-pandemic = hybrid resource for after-school programs -- this curriculum was found by independent evaluators to drive performance against key metrics. For example, The Barbie Dream Gap Curriculum was credited with: expanding kids’ interest in more careers; increasing all girls’ beliefs that anyone could be a good leader; and inspiring more 2nd grade girls to identify females as “really, really smart” and to say YES to the question, “Do you think you can be anything?”.Co-authored CSS publications include: Media & Teen Mental Health Report; The Power of Storytelling Character Report; Character Strengths' Tip Sheet; and CSS's original Boys' Tip Sheet for evolving male representation.CSS-affiliated clients include: Mattel, Disney, FUTURES Without Violence, Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness Program.

With Laurel Felt Consulting, I use insights from child development and educational research to help organizations serving children, youth, and/or families (e.g., media producers, toy companies, curriculum developers) enrich their content, products, instruction, and business practices so they can help children to learn and grow as well as remain competitive in this marketplace driven by Millennial parents and Gen Z + Gen Alpha kids. Laurel Felt Consulting clients include: Build Up Boys, Common Sense Media, PBS SoCal, Nickelodeon Kids & Family Research, WGBH Educational Foundation/PBS Kids, "Everybody Counts"/Citizen Me, Barclay Square Media, RAES/African Network for Health Education, Empowering Minds Program, SMALLab, USC Shoah Foundation, USC Pullias Center for Higher Education.With HeartFelt Speaking, I help purpose-driven women and allies, like entrepreneurs and activists, to translate their big ideas into easy-to-understand messages that they can confidently deliver on TEDx stages, coffee shops, and everywhere in between so they can showcase their expertise, grow their impact, and make the world a better place. I've worked with executives at DLA Piper and Miller/Coors, entrepreneurs/founders, politicians and grassroots candidates, researchers, lawyers, creatives, salespeople, and former refugees. Everyone has a story.HeartFelt Speaking clients include: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; USC School of Pharmacy; USC Rossier School of Education; City Year Los Angeles; Miry's List; Jane Club; Institute for Educational Advancement; Ethiopian Diaspora Fellowship; and the Heart Series.I responded to the COVID-19 lockdown by creating Our Powerful Play, a community that helped families with kids aged 2-6 enjoy safe, fun, enriching co-play so everyone could connect, de-stress, and exercise their minds and bodies. I distributed daily and weekly co-play tips, led a parenting group, and delivered pro bono seminars.

Los Angeles, Ca

Taught business communication-related theory and skills to help prepare undergraduate and graduate students for bright, dynamic futures.Significant courses included: Youth & Media; Public Speaking; Business and Professional Communication; Communication, Values, Attitudes, Behavior; Strategic Corporate Communication.• Earned recognition as one of the highest-rated educators in department (92% student-rated effectiveness score over 41 classes, highly favorable 2018 - 2019 faculty merit review) by consistently delivering excellence.• Designed win-win course partnerships with DirecTV, FullScreen, and KCRW, which boosted student engagement, facilitated development of “real world” skills, connections, and expertise, and delighted partners.• Introduced cutting-edge business software, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Tubular Intelligence, Qualtrics, and Slack, enriching students’ capacity to understand trends, communicate effectively, and add value to employers.• Developed innovative service-learning programs in public speaking and media literacy, resulting in undergraduates’ deeper mastery of material, development of life and career skills, and awareness of civic issues, and local primary school students’ access to unique curriculum and inspiring role models.

Los Angeles, California, United States

Conducted qualitative research on diverse content, audiences, and impacts in order to empower social change efforts driven by diverse partners (e.g., Hollywood studios, international non-profits, U.S. government).Key projects included: lead author on media landscape analysis investigating whether and how to craft safe abortion storylines for sub-Saharan African audiences; evaluator of Mental Health Media Guide, a resource designed to enrich storytellers' -- especially Hollywood screenwriters' -- capacity to accurately and productively tell stories about mental health; co-author on definitive report identifying the power of entertainment to support narrative change.

El Segundo, Ca

As a member of the Child Development and Learning team, designed world-class curriculum, co-created a child development and learning framework for ages 0 to 12, and activated expertise across Mattel to enrich learning through play.• Led development of curriculum solutions that leveraged IP and tackled diverse objectives, from social-emotional learning to design thinking, resulting in on-time delivery of high-quality, innovative lessons for kids worldwide.• Designed, executed, and analyzed pilot testing of curriculum across domestic and international sites, identifying insights and suggesting iterations that resolved user experience issues and optimized learning.• Managed external vendor's development of research-based resources, positioning Mattel to act as thought leader.

Los Angeles, Ca

Led non-profit dedicated to supporting journalism education and student media for at-risk youth.• Created, managed, and assessed 5 outreach programs, delivering value to stakeholders and finding learning gains.• Enabled service to hundreds of youth by acting as effective fiscal manager, facilitating $100K in donations, winning competitive grants, introducing fee-for-service funding stream, and launching internship program.

Greater Los Angeles Area

Pursued engaged research around 21st-century learning, focusing on youth, media, and social-emotional learning.• Led inquiry-based processes, employed creative design thinking, and leveraged tools / technology to design 3 out-of-school programs and study 5 programs with USC Annenberg Innovation Lab, resulting in meaningful learning, praxis.• Developed innovative, critical thinking-oriented curricula for online learners with USC Shoah Foundation and USC Joint Educational Project, impacting participants’ knowledge, empathy, and intention to engage in community life.• Studied advanced multivariate methods (regression) and ethnographic methods, establishing a well rounded quant / qual skill set.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I edited and wrote ancillary educational print products for elementary education contexts, completing robust curriculum solutions designed by such industry leaders as Houghton Mifflin and Pearson.* Ensured alignment with product guidelines, project norms, industry best practices, and state-wide learning standards.* Applied expertise in child development and early childhood education in order to confirm that content qualified as developmentally appropriate, engaging, and feasible to implement.* Edited verbiage for clarity, simplicity, and accuracy.* Supported diverse projects, including a series of original leveled readers, teacher's guides for student textbooks, standardized test preparation materials, and math workbooks.* Supervised contract hires and liaised with cross-functional colleagues in order to ensure on-time delivery of quality product.

Medford, Ma

I facilitated emergent curriculum and supported cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development for ethnically and socio-economically diverse young children (aged 0-5).

Phd, Communication

Ma, Child Study & Human Development

Bs, Social Policy

Activities and Societies: Titanic Players, Daily Northwestern, Shepard Residential College, Delta Zeta Sorority

Education record