Laura came to UT-TIEMH in 2024 under the partnership they have with Education Service Center (ESC) Region 16’s Texas Center for Student Supports (TCSS) which facilitates the Stronger Connections Grant (SCG) program among the 20 ESCs. Laura is overseeing the development of individualized youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention training resources for administrators, educators, mental health staff, and families and will train regional staff within the K-12 education system as trainers. Laura previously worked at Texas HHS (Health and Human Services) where she was the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) and Suicide Prevention Specialist, providing training and technical assistance across the state and consultation for the three community AWARE grantees in Houston, Laredo, and San Antonio. She is a suicide prevention expert with over 30 years’ experience in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention in schools, community mental health and across state agencies. Her career has ranged from crisis intervention in schools to working with city, county and state agency staff on suicide prevention and disaster preparedness and response activities. She is a trainer in Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid, ASK About Suicide to Save a Life, Safety Planning Intervention, Counseling on Access to Lethal Means, Talk Saves Lives, It’s Real: Teens and Mental Health for Middle and High School Students, and is a Master Trainer in Hope Squad. She is Board President of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Central Texas Chapter and the Ethics Committee Chair for the National Association of Social Worker’s Texas Chapter.
