Staff Bio: Lauren LaVare



Lauren is a barred attorney and human rights advocate currently serving as the Federal Policy Counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force. Prior to law school Lauren worked in refugee resettlement and immigrant workforce development where she addressed the barriers and intersectionality of employment, gender, and immigration status as the Women’s Employability Employment Specialist with the International Rescue Committee and as the Program Manager for Upwardly Global’s D.C. office.

Lauren is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Malawi from 2012-2014. During her service she worked with teachers to prevent and address gender-based violence through developing reporting structures in schools. Lauren also served as the Camp Director for Peace Corps Camp Sky, Malawi’s national education camp, supporting students from resource deficient schools to prepare for their national exams. She also served as a trainer and counselor for Peace Corps’ Camp GLOW, a girl’s national empowerment camp providing training around gender-based violence.

During law school Lauren had the opportunity to return to Malawi to clerk for their second highest court. Lauren has also worked with the United Nations Committee Against Torture to monitor state implementaiton of the Convention against Torture, and worked with the Public International Law & Policy Group on developing proposals for transitional justice mechanisms. Lauren’s work as a research assistant to the Faculty Director of Washington College of Law’s Center for Human Rights & Human Humanitarian Law focused on the use of strategic litigation and social movements to push forward the rights of women, indegiouns peoples, and LGBTQIA+ communities. As a student attorney with the International Human Rights Clinic at American University, Lauren provided legal assistance to asylum seekers and families impacted by border separation policies.

When Lauren is not working she is still working, but with Orangetheory Fitness as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor! Outside of her early morning workout playlist creation, she can be found performing comedy around D.C.!

Lauren LaVare
Senior Organizer
llavare@thetaskforce.org