Lauren is currently an Executive Search Consultant at Howard & O'Brien Associates, a retained executive search firm. Until recently, she was also a Practitioner in Residence at Kent State University’s School of Journalism & Mass Communication. She briefly served as the Director of Research at ContentNext, an organization focused on media related newsletters and conferences. Lauren left Merrill Lynch in April, 2007 as a Managing Director in Equity Research. A 19-year veteran, she covered the publishing, information, for-profit education, advertising and online industries. She was a ranked member of the Institutional Investor All-American Research Team for 14 years holding the number one position for 11 years. Lauren has an MBA from the Stern School of Management (NYU) and a BA in Psychology/Economics from Tufts University.

Lauren is on the Boards of Brand Muscle, the Chautauqua Foundation, the Cleveland Film Society, The Cleveland Museum of Art, College Now, Dolan Company (NYSE:DM), iGuiders, In Counsel with Women, JumpStart, and Urban Community School (Executive Committee), a not-for-profit school for low income families in Cleveland. She is on the Advisory Boards of Creative Loafing & MedCityNews and the investment committee at Laurel School. She has served on the Cleveland Jewish News Board (Executive Committee), Laurel School’s Board, the Advisory Board of Dix & Eaton, a public relations firm in Cleveland, the Leadership Board of the Lerner Research Institute, and the Poynter Institute Advisory Board, and on committees at Citizens Academy, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Racquet Club, The Gathering Place, and Hawken School. Lauren was a member of the Leadership Cleveland class of 2007.