Lauren is Senior Director of Development at Canopy, where she brings a cross-sector career built on resourcing meaningful impact and the movements behind it. Bold and curious by nature, she has worked across arts administration, technology, policy, and education. She previously served as Associate Professor of Worldbuilding and Visualizing Futures at Arizona State University's MIX Center, and as a 2025 Lewis Latimer Fellow, she explores ethical AI applications for oral histories. Ruffin co-founded CRUX Cooperative to support immersive storytelling artists and served as Co-CEO of Fractured Atlas, where she founded the Artist Campaign School. She holds a J.D. from Howard University and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College.
More about me
I've worked in the nonprofit sector for so long that my first job was helping foundations build their first websites and making the case for digital annual reports, which dates me precisely. I almost didn't make it: I came close to dropping out of law school to train reactive, high-drive dog breeds. The dogs lost, but only barely, and now my partner and I live with three! I'm also deeply passionate about immersive storytelling. AR, VR, the whole spectrum. There's something powerful about putting a person inside a story rather than in front of it. When it works, it rewires our brains and moves us to action.
Why forests are important to me
I grew up in a small New Jersey town that is home to the oldest rodeo in the US. My childhood was spent roaming the small forests and fields near my house, growing my imagination and increasing my comfort with all types of insects and bugs. As an adult, my most restorative moments have been in a cabin surrounded by quiet trees. There's something about forests that resets me in a way nothing else does. Forests are so good to us. They cool the air, stabilize soil, and sustain so many communities and ecosystems. When forests go, everything downstream is affected. Protecting them is fundamental to whether the planet stays livable, and as someone who's committed to life-centered design, I think it's important to do what I can to make sure they're still here, and healthy for whoever comes next.
Why Canopy
I wanted to join a team of delightful, smart people doing important work. After decades in the nonprofit sector, I've learned that the quality of your colleagues impacts your ability to do good work, continually learn new things, and stay fresh to focus on what’s most important. I've always been drawn to organizations solving for impact in innovative, unexpected ways. I like to work with people who refuse to accept the premise that certain problems are too big or too entrenched to move. That’s Canopy in a nutshell.
Ask me about
Swallowtail butterflies, bad dogs, murder mysteries, classic cars, speculative fiction, basketball, and bicycling.
What ruffles my feathers
I think I'd be a naked mole rat! They have a hard time regulating their temperature because they're hairless. I'm always cold! They're super resilient, surviving underground with very little oxygen, and live 10x longer than most rodents. They're also one of the few eusocial mammals...organized around a shared mission, working collectively toward something bigger than the individual.
