Laurie worked as a community organizer, in after school programs, in treatment centers, and with college student leadership development in student clubs prior to becoming a professor. Laurie’s current work with the ACLU seeks to address discipline and achievement disparities for minority populations in Montana’s public primary and secondary schools. Laurie was awarded the Association of Community Organization and Social Administration Emerging Scholar Award in 2014 and the Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement in 2017. Laurie regularly trains AmeriCorps Vistas, Campus Compact staff, and Lynton Colloquium attendees on integrated frameworks for entering and exiting community partnerships that includes decolonizing approaches to engagement.