Testimonials

  • "As an integral part of our esteemed panel of speakers, Dr. Laura Quiros played a pivotal role in delivering an enriching and insightful session titled, “Purpose Driven DEI” to our 150 attendees.

    The feedback we received from the summit participants unanimously underscores the exceptional quality of Dr. Laura Quiros's session. Their expertise, eloquence, and ability to engage the audience were truly commendable, as evidenced by the superb ratings received across the board. Attendees from diverse backgrounds and industries praised Dr. Laura Quiros's profound insights, innovative perspectives, and the practical relevance of their discourse."

    Esther González, MPA, MBA VP, Programs and Academic Partnerships at Prospanic

  • "I want to thank you for a very special workshop/training on Friday…Stepping Beyond the Trauma.

    I found it spiritually uplifting. I resonate with the soul/redemptive/transformative space of social work…and the bigger picture as we interact with and encounter other souls."

    Workshop Attendee

  • "I greatly appreciated how you shared your personal, academic, and social work perspectives with us, all woven together and presented with such expertise, kindness, grace, and practicality.

    This resonated deeply, and was a message I don't recall encountering "officially" in two decades in higher ed. It was so validating to hear collaboration, choice, and even rest offered as professional options.

    Thank you for figuring out how you can live in that inclusive, collaborative way in an academic setting (even though it is counterculture), and then finding ways to share that message clearly with all of us. I hope I can do the same for myself, and model it for my colleagues, children, and community. "

    Joanna Haan
    Professor, Chemistry
    Co-Department Head , Physical Sciences Department
    Long Beach City College

  • "Dr. Quiros presented the information and training points in a way that came across not as guilt for our past, but for a way to move forward together, in a cohesive team to better the Siena community, ourselves, and our homes."

    "My biggest takeaway would be the importance to share personal stories and experiences about yourself when dealing with others to help create a safer environment for people to open up and feel trust. Secondly, the importance to provide an environment where people can feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas for change."

    "The idea of embodiment is so important – not just thinking through my head but fostering compassion (mind, body, heart). Also, Dr. Quiros shared the powerful phrase, curiosity over judgement."

    Anonymous responses from Sienna College’s annual diversity education workshop.

  • “I wanted to reach out after reading your chapter in Latinx In Social Work. Your words, "how do we help first ourselves, and then our clients, show up better for ourselves and then for one another", really touched home for me. I chose Social Work as my career in hopes of finding an answer as to why communities lose their voice, but more importantly, how do you find it. I see now, that all along, I was hoping for validation. Someone to validate my intergenerational trauma and the difficulties of navigating life as a second generation Latina of Puerto Rican and Colombian descent. Twenty years in the field and 9 years with my license, I continue to ponder the whys and continue to push myself to grow, though not always easy. “

    A.D.

  • “ So much of what you express in your new book resonates with me and Phyllis Thompson . We, too, see how many trauma-informed initiatives, particularly those in K-12 education, focus on individual rather than structural trauma and fail to explicitly integrate a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We admire how you center your writing around the idea of trauma-informed practice as a foundation for positive disruption. We couldn’t agree more and believe this type of disruption is needed in all disciplines and in all of higher education, so that we stop unintentionally re-traumatizing students or becoming retraumatized ourselves as educators. ”

    Janice Carello

  • “ Best version of DEI I’ve seen (or heard about) so far. Love how the focus is on changing mindsets without introducing any concept of guilt. Start fresh today…start fresh every day, challenge your perceptions, how can I improve, what are my biases, how can I grow and improve as a human. What can I do better today than I did yesterday. ”

    Blockfi

  • “ Laura, thank you so much for coming to the Board meeting last night and sharing the work of the DEI committee with the Board.  I think it was received with much interest.  Thank you so very much for the work you are doing with the Committee the community and with the Y management.  I am so happy that we are moving forward to making constructive changes at the Y that will enable us to begin to achieve our goal of being a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive oasis (and model) in the community.  Thank you for being part of this important work. ”

    Izumi Hara, Board Chair of the YMCA

  • “ We've gone through an incredible transformation. Laura, the work we've done with you on our Mission and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion so far has been groundbreaking. We've gone from having a Mission that very few people even to a meaningful, powerful Mission - Make Research Inclusive. How good is that! For the first time, I feel a much deeper connection with our Mission, and I can see others in the team moving in the same direction, which excites me. From here, we can build a team of people who align with our Mission and Values. We can be explicit about what we stand for and why our Mission is what it is. Laura, your support on Friday was greatly appreciated. I really felt a lot of confidence with you in the room, reinforcing the journey we've been on so far. Your words were energizing, and while you were talking, it gave me a moment to look back and acknowledge how far we've come since George Floyd's death. Thank you for your support on Friday. I'm very proud of all the work we have accomplished in the past four months to further solidify Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Respondent. Make Research Inclusive! ”

    Jack Pratten, Respondent

  • In response to talk on DEI with Day One Agency

    “ … I’m so happy to see another Latina and black woman!! I’ve never seen myself represented like this at a talk before, I love it <3 ”

    Alana Myers

“ I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Luxembourg in the Department of Education and Social Work. I am a black, Jamaican woman, who has practice experience in human rights program management as well as community and international development. My doctoral research looks at how trauma discourses are shaped by anti-racism activism, using case studies in Luxembourg and Australia. As such, during my first year in 2021, I began mapping out my literature review, focusing on texts related to trauma, particularly from a socio-political perspective. It was during this process that I discovered Laura’s co-authored paper, Responding to the Sociopolitical Complexity of Trauma: An Integration of Theory and Practice. I was immediately struck by the article's critical tone and intellectual rigor, particularly its feminist, intersectional approach, which was framed from a social work perspective. This approach, I felt, remains significantly underexplored within our profession.  As I continued to explore Laura’s body of work, I was impressed by her ability to bridge theory and practice.

 

It was evident that her extensive social work experience informed her theoretical contributions, advancing how we conceptualize, reflect on, and engage with our work, particularly in relation to marginalized communities. I knew that having her input would be essential to the development of my thesis. Additionally, I admired her steadfast commitment to anti-racism work, especially in her emphasis on the agency of racialized communities and the importance of respecting that agency. Given these qualities, I knew that working with Laura would be invaluable for my own research, and I have greatly benefited from her insightful feedback and mentorship. Laura has reminded me to always be mindful of the systems we work in and theorise in, especially a racialised women in academia. She’s reminded me to always critically reflect, to be transparent about my positionality, and to challenge and disrupt whiteness. I’ve learnt that this is not just ethically essential but fundamental to producing liberatory work that is for the communities we work with. ”

– Jordanne Edwards
Doctoral Researcher, FHSE
University of Luxembourg

 

“You were extremely helpful in supporting me through a time of transition and challenge in my organization. You helped me understand, navigate, and address difficult Issues and conflicts concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion in a way that felt supportive and non-judgmental. My staff also appreciated the training you did for them on microaggressions and felt that you created a comfortable space for them to share their experiences. I'm only sorry I didn't meet you sooner instead of so close to my retirement. ”

– Nancy Goldhill, Executive Director

 

“Laura has been instrumental in gently cultivating confidence in our team when discussing diversity, equity and inclusion and implicit bias. She is truly an amazing talent and person. She makes you feel at ease and has provided tools and guidance that will last a lifetime. Anyone would be fortunate to work with her.”

– Genie L. Colbert, Director of Human Resources sanctuaryforfamilies.org

 

“Since day 1 of meeting Laura, she has felt like a true partner and extension of our business. Her approach is refreshing in that she doesn't preach or criticize opportunity areas, but rather meets you where you're at as a company, and as individuals. Laura has been instrumental in identifying tools beyond just training that will allow us to create an environment and a brand that is not only diverse, but truly inclusive. She would be a valuable partner to any company that strives to create an inclusive environment. ”

– Natalie Rast, Director of People y7-studio.com

 

“Dear Laura, I can’t thank you enough for your partnership – both in planning and preparing for yesterday’s DEI session, as well as our co-facilitation of the day. The group left so reflective about the workshop, and even though evaluations aren’t yet in yet, I predict we will have a very satisfied group based on our time together. I so appreciated having you and your expertise as part of this process, and I love how we were able to collaborate before, and in the moment, to make the experience a relevant and meaningful one for the group. I learned a lot from you, and this is so important to me as well! I’m including Kef and Caryn here to express my thanks too to AlumniCorps for supporting and investing in Laura’s support. Her contributions to curriculum and especially to front-of-the-room leadership yesterday, gave our workshop a depth and credibility that was tremendously valuable for all of us. All my best, Yael ”

– Yael C. Sivi, LCSW, Executive Coach, Psychotherapist, Managing Partner collaborative-coaching.com