Hi, I’m Laura Hutchinson.
My pronouns are she or they. I am an allyship educator committed to revolutionizing diversity, equity, and inclusion education.
I have rarely followed the path well-trod. Some would say I’ve taken lots of detours, but each path I have taken has led me to new experiences and new perspectives that I am able to bring along my journey. I have a Master of Science in Education, focused on college student personnel and have worked closely with college students for more than a decade. I have worked in corporate finance, hospitality, retail, faith-based non-profit, and higher education. These diverse experiences have led me to build relationships with many types of people. The thing I have found to be common among all people, especially those who experience marginalization, is a desire to simultaneously be authentically themselves and be respected and valued.
Through my focus on intersectional LGBTQ+ support, I have learned many strategies for seeing, understanding, empowering people on the margins, and collaborating with them and those in power to affect organizational change. I help communities practice proactive and authentic inclusion.
My award-winning research on what LGBTQ+ folks actually want and expect in allies led me to a paradigm shift in the way we think about allyship.