I had the privilege of working as a direct report to Laurel during her time at TELUS Digital where she was the Manager of Design Centre of Excellence. Previously, I had come from a +10 year career in the post-secondary education environment and Laurel’s mentorship and guidance made the transition into the technology industry seamless for me as the UX Research Operations Lead.

Laurel’s passion for design is contagious and it is shown in everything she does. As a design leader, Laurel has the amazing ability to intertwine and ensure each of the crafts was represented well, including content, IA, research, and accessibility. Communication between the various crafts was essential and this is where her communicative prowess was put on display.

I will continue to be eternally grateful to Laurel for recognizing the knowledge and skill set that I brought to the research practice, allowing me to make the transition into the research technology space where I am now thriving. I value her continued colleagueship and mentorship, which continues to help me grow.

Hiring managers considering Laurel for a position will be making a very wise decision by hiring such an amazing, passionate, strategic, and wonderful leader. I fully support and endorse my recommendation for Laurel.

Laurel’s combination of design expertise, interpersonal skills, and strategic thinking makes her a standout professional. Her empathy and ability to connect with people helped her build numerous meaningful professional relationships.

Laurel is a strategic thinker, looking beyond design and understanding business drivers, outcomes and KPIs. In her manager role Laurel focused on building Design Operations capabilities and providing solid infrastructure for TELUS Digital designers. Understanding not only the tooling needs but also the corresponding processes, governance and onboarding, Laurel was a true champion for design, accessibility and user research. She was very instrumental in building bridges with stakeholders and driving adoption of user experience driven product development.

I had the pleasure of managing Laurel back when I inherited the Home Solutions design team at Telus Digital.

Laurel is the epitome of a professional – always taking care to communicate clearly and articulate design decisions. She also maintains the wide-eyed curiousity that so many seasoned professionals lose as they advance in their careers making her a formidable designer.

I leaned on her knowledge and expertise extensively when I joined the organization and she continued to be a trusted ally as we carved out various work. Her ability to calmly tackle problems head on made her an invaluable member of the team. Her genuine nature makes her easy to trust and her strong, unwavering core makes it easy to maintain that trust.

Laurel has all the key qualities of a great teacher – knowledgeable, patient, adaptable and creative which makes her an incredible addition to any team as a leader.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Laurel during her time as Manager of Design Centre of Excellence at TELUS. I cannot express enough how fortunate I was to have such an outstanding leader driving our team.

Laurel has a leadership style that’s built on a foundation of respect, inclusivity, integrity, and a genuine desire to foster growth and empathy within the team. She consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of our individual strengths and weaknesses, leveraging them to create a harmonious and highly productive team culture.

One of Laurel’s most notable strengths is her exceptional communication skills. She possesses the rare ability to convey expectations clearly and concisely while also being an attentive listener. By encouraging open dialogue and providing constructive feedback, Laurel created an atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas, ultimately leading to a more innovative and collaborative team dynamic.

Laurel is an extraordinary leader who has positively impacted my professional growth and the overall success of our team. Her exceptional leadership, motivational skills, and ability to handle challenges makes her a true asset to any organization. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work under her guidance, and I wholeheartedly recommend Laurel to any organization seeking a dedicated, inspiring, and results-oriented leader.