I’m Laura. I work with teams to help make technologies that make things better.
I’m currently available for limited consulting engagements.
Technology can embody the best and worst of human nature. It can provide connection and opportunity; or deepen inequality, and put people in harm’s way.
Principled technology practice means thinking about gaps in governance, ethics, digital knowledge, infrastructure, money, and power. It means making informed, ethical decisions, and looking at every idea from the perspective of the most vulnerable person.
I help people understand and solve problems together, drawing on more than fifteen years' global experience, and methodologies from aid and development, research, software, and design. I create spaces, processes and teams where people can feel safe, reflect, collaborate and deliver real impact.
Client work and testimonials
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I have consulted for clients across a range of roles, including Aspen Digital, the CDAC Network, Development Gateway, Danish Demining Group, The Engine Room, Groupe URD, Humanity United, the International Federation of the Red Cross, UNESCO, and WorldVision UK. Engagements have included strategic and project implementation consulting, research, process and event facilitation, mentorship, evaluation, and training.
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“Laura... played a critical role in helping the CDAC Network agree a new strategy that is clear and owned by the membership. Working across the diverse network that includes UN agencies and international NGOs of various sizes based in multiple locations, she enabled engagement through face to face workshops and online drafting. Skilled at drawing out the areas that needed discussion and highlighting the decisions that needed to be made, her writing skills and attention to detail honed a clear, accessible document.”
Caroline Nursey, Board Member of the CDAC Network
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“It was a pleasure to work with Laura and her team. I would highly recommend them to others seeking technical expertise in the future.”
Lauren Pucci, Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC)
Select writing and speaking
An experienced speaker and writer, I advocate for inclusive technology, evidence-based decision-making, effective philanthropy in social change tech, and ethics and responsible data.
Policy Brief on Leaving No-one Behind in system-level digital investments
Digital Principles resources on Responsible Data, Leaving No-one Behind, and Transparency, Accountability and Governance (with Linda Raftree)
Pulse on the Principles Leave No-one Behind mini-season on the Digital Principles podcast
Panel moderator: A Whole of Society Agenda: Global Cooperation for National Digital Transformation at Concordia Summit 2020
Policy Brief on next steps for scaling the use of blockchain in humanitarian aid
Consultation report on responsible data practice in civil society [with Kelly Church]
Frameworks on monitoring and evaluation [with Linda Raftree] and context analysis [with Kelly Church and Margaret Scott] for technology in social change
Case study on mobile-enabled feedback mechanisms
The Guardian: Making tech work for development [video]
Whispering when everyone is listening: Low-Tech Communications Technology Implementations in High-Risk Contexts [with Keith Porcaro]
SMS-based accountability to beneficiaries mechanisms in humanitarian aid and development