As the Southern California community facilitator for ACEs Connection, Lara brings her deep understanding of the importance of schools as community drivers for change. Lara is an experienced educator and consultant who speaks nationally on implementing trauma-informed practices in schools and building holistic, trauma-responsive systems. Lara brings over two decades of experience at the local, state and national level, including developing programs for integrating trauma-informed practices into community schools in Los Angeles. She worked for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as the state homeless coordinator, and practiced her first love, teaching 'at-risk' youth in Washington state. Lara has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MPA from The Evergreen State College. As an example of her understanding of the micro and the macro, Lara’s experience ranges from supporting individual teachers to designing a trauma-informed schools pilot implemented in 20 schools across the country. Lara has worked both as a teacher and administrator putting the science of building resilience into practice. Born in the Midwest, she lived for over a decade in the Pacific Northwest, and is now a transplant to Southern California, where she lives with her husband and two boys. The beach is her happy place.