Lauren McKenzie joined the Texans Care for Children in 2024 as the Senior Policy Associate for Early Learning. In that role, Lauren collaborates with stakeholders across Texas to strengthen access to high-quality learning environments. She supports Texans Care for Children’s policy work on pre-k, early literacy and numeracy, bilingual education, and early childhood special education.
Before joining Texans Care for Children, Lauren served as the Director of Policy for the Texas House Early Childhood Caucus. Driven by her experiences as a kindergarten teacher, Lauren is passionate about aligning research, policy, and practice.
Lauren graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.S. in Human Sciences with an emphasis on human development, family studies, and education and from Lipscomb University with her Masters of Education. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Texas in Education Policy and Planning.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys exploring Austin with her beloved dog Margaret and being her niece Elliott’s favorite aunt.
