Who I Am
I’ve built my career on deep listening – first as a journalist, later supporting young people to be leaders in their communities, and now as a partner to people trying to make the world a better place.
I serve as a strategic partner and guide to nonprofits and foundations. I ask questions, listen deeply to understand your challenges, and work hand-in-hand with you to design strategies, programs, and narratives that lead us toward a better world.
I’ve worked across issue areas with organizations as wide-reaching as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Skoll Foundation, to a statewide program of the United Steelworkers’ charitable arm, to networks of hundreds of nonprofits, to small, single-staff, community-based organizations.
I believe the ways we work can reflect our vision of the world we want. In that spirit, I pay attention to your systems, culture, and practices, with a bias to center the people most impacted by your work. I am strategic and human-centered, bringing an eye for what the work will take, questioning the status quo, getting creative, and always honoring people’s humanity along the way.
I grew up on the border in El Paso, TX, and am proud to serve on the board of an immigrant justice organization, the Phoenix Legal Action Network.
Bio
Lauri Valerio brings nearly 15 years of experience in the social sector. She has worked with clients including the Skoll Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, California Endowment, Central Valley Community Foundation, Hawaii Community Foundation, Miriam’s Kitchen, and networks of nonprofits and community-based organizations focused on immigration, arts, culture, community development, entrepreneurship, and healthy food, among others. She grounds her work in visions of equity and liberation through exploring questions with clients about organizational systems and culture and strives to center the people most impacted. She’s written various publications about centering equity in practice.
Before launching her own practice, Lauri served in communications and consulting roles at Community Wealth Partners, oversaw young adult programs at United Way Worldwide, served as associate editor for hyperlocal publication Advocate Magazine, and spent a year as a Fulbright scholar in northwest Argentina. She’s proud to serve on the board of the Phoenix Legal Action Network.
Lauri grew up on the borderlands in El Paso, TX and graduated from Pomona College with a degree in English and creative writing. She has a passion for the outdoors and more equitable access to it.
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