Laura Cortez, Ph.D.

Dr. Laura J. Cortez is from the Rio Grande Valley and came to Austin in 1999 as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Drake University, and later went on to earn her MBA from St. Edward’s University and PhD in Higher Education from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2012, Laura served as a postdoctoral fellow at UT’s Community Engagement Center and led one of Austin’s most comprehensive public engagement projects known as the Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative. Laura credits this experience with changing her professional trajectory and after completing the project she launched her own public engagement firm, Cortez Consulting.