Lauren Puryear is the State Director of Operations at St. John’s Community Services (SJCS) for the DC, Maryland and Virginia region. SJCS is a non-profit organization committed to supporting and advocating for people of all abilities. In her current role at SJCS, Lauren is making daily strides to carry out the mission of SJCS by demonstrating strong leadership skills, exploring areas of growth and advocating for the people SJCS supports.
Early in her career, Lauren found her inspiration from working as a community therapist and as an ID?DD Support Coordinator for the Prince William County Government. During her tenure, she assisted hundreds of clients with personal, social, educational, and vocational development. Additionally, she provided consulting to schools, social service agencies, and businesses within the area. Eventually, she would be held in high regard for her community development work and programmatic leadership within the VA, DC and Maryland area. Lauren’s passion for non profit work launched her into leadership roes that allowed her to change organizational structure, improve organizational outcomes, increase funding by being award several grants, and played a major role in improving the culture and morale at various organizations.
Lauren is involved in community development and programing in her personal life as well. She is a strong advocate for addressing the global food crisis and founded For the Love of Others. Her organization seeks to address the vast food and educational disparities in the communities of Greater Washington. Lauren is a viral sensation who has been featured on the Steve Harvey Show, CNN, Essence Magazine, Woman’s World, Ellen DeGeneres Show and more regarding her efforts to use extreme couponing to feed thousands of people experiencing hunger.
Lauren wants to share her excitement with the world about her passion for helping others and is blessed to be able to be an executive leader at an organization like SJCS who prides themselves on meeting the unique needs for all the people they support, ultimately making their dreams a reality. Lauren is looking forward to connecting with the other leaders in this network to bring awareness to social issues, collaborate on projects, participate in fundraising events, and advocate for all people.