Trainer Biography
Lauren Willner, Ph. D, MSW
Dr. Lauren Willner completed her PhD in Social Welfare at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs in 2017 and earned her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice in 2009. She is currently a faculty member in the School of Social Work at San Diego State University. Her research focuses on the nonprofit sector, specifically social justice and social change organizations. Social justice is at the forefront of Dr. Willner’s research and practice, and she is committed to garnering greater understanding about how the models that nonprofit organizations embrace can be strengthened to achieve greater positive results for clients and communities. By conducting research that favors an interdisciplinary and critical approach to organizational inquiry, Dr. Willner’s research builds upon existing knowledge and generates new understandings about the role of nonprofit organizations in working towards greater social justice. She is currently engaged in several research projects examining the role of managerialism in nonprofit organizations, anti-racist organizational practices, and the relationship between human service organizations and social equity. Additionally, Dr. Willner provides training and education on anti-racist social work and organizational practice to nonprofit and public organizations.