STAND has one full-time Program Director based in Washington D.C. In coordination with the Student Director(s) and with input from the larger Managing Committee, Staff is responsible for STAND’s long-term vision and strategy. They coordinate with partner organizations and are responsible for programming logistics and fundraising.
Program Director
Laura Strawmyer is the Program Director of STAND. She coordinates the advocacy efforts of STAND activists; builds strategic partners; organizes student events and trainings; and advises and mentors STAND’s student leaders on campaign strategy, Congressional targeting, and coalition building. She was previously the Policy and Advocacy Manager, and a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow, at the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Prior to AfP, Laura supported a range of peacebuilding, development, academic, and religious organizations, including the local Rwandan peacebuilding organization, Never Again Rwanda. She holds an Accelerated Masters of Public Affairs, with concentrations in Nonprofit Management and International Development, from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University. As an undergraduate, she majored in Nonprofit Management with minors in French, African Languages, and African Studies. Strawmyer is a recipient of the U.S. Department of Education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship for Swahili, and the SPEA International Engagement Fellowship. She speaks French and Swahili, as well as some Kinyarwanda and Arabic. Laura is from central Indiana and now resides in Washington, D.C., where she enjoys volunteering with girls’ programs.
