Email: laura.garrison@laok.org

Social Justice has been an important part of my family since I was a child. I can remember both my mom and dad being activist in racial/ethnic, social, environmental, and political issues my whole life. So not surprisingly, my work history has been serving others.

I entered college on a music scholarship but finished with a Master of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Sociology.

I call San Antonio home, having spent most of my life there.  I was a teacher for the largest district in San Antonio and voluntarily taught at the at-risk schools.  My first experience with program development was creating a music and dance program for the afterschool program.

I then had an opportunity to develop the program English for Oil Workers in United Arab Emirates. I worked with people all over the world and was immersed in a variety of cultures as a I traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East.

I came to Tulsa to stay for “just a couple months,” but then had the opportunity to develop the Child Services Department at Women in Recovery. WIR was a great opportunity to literally build the Child Services from the ground up. I was able to meet the needs of the clients and their children and address those needs for positive outcomes.  I was on the Children of Incarcerated Parents committee for many years, and, through my WIR child services, was able to get the first visits at David L. Moss for young children in a trauma informed environment.

Because of my extensive training in trauma, substance use disorder, mental health, child development, I was recruited for Laureate Institute for Brain Research to be a Research Coordinator. It was fascinating to see through MRI Imaging and testing how the brain is affected by those processes and how the brain can heal from them.

Serving on the board of the 1st Step Male Diversion Program and several Social Justice committees in Tulsa keeps me informed on the latest in research as well as what is happening in Tulsa.

All these experiences have led me to Legal Aid and the wonderful work that is being done here. I love working with our clients as we help on the path to healing. Being on a team of dedicated staff that values families, and each family’s uniqueness, as they receive high quality legal services in Tulsa is very rewarding.

My non-work time, I am singing around Oklahoma and teaching dance classes.