Lauren Cochran, Stafford County, Virginia native, is a Paralegal Specialist at the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division. In this role, Lauren assists attorneys and staff members on various civil case matters assigned to the Civil Conduct Task Force (CCTF). She completes many tasks such as taking notes on and writing witness interview memorandums, conducting research for depositions and other legal engagements, and compiling information for attorney work-products. She is also a member of the Antitrust Division’s Diversity Committee in which she recently moderated an interview with Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke for the Ninth Annual Diversity Celebration. Lauren graduated from the University of Virginia in May with a B.A. in Public Policy & Leadership and B.A. in African American & African Studies. At UVA, she served as a Counselor on the University Judiciary Committee (UJC), Rotunda Student Ambassador and Team Lead, and Director of Undergraduate Relations for Black Student Leaders in Policy (BSLIP). Lauren was also a Fellow of the Meriwether Institute for Citizen Leadership (MLI) while at Virginia. Outside of her work and interest in becoming an attorney, Lauren is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and enjoys spending quality time with friends and family.

Phillip Menard is a Senior Consultant at Guidehouse in Washington, D.C. In his role, he oversees the budget planning and execution, governance, and strategic planning initiatives for clients in the International Development & Diplomacy sectors. Prior to joining Guidehouse, he worked as a Management Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, serving clients in the Defense, Emergency Management, and Homeland Security sectors. He also served as the Operations and Communications Liaison at the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), supporting their pro-bono legal screening clinics for immigrants across the five boroughs in New York City. Phillip received his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut in 2015 and his Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from the University of Virginia in 2018.

Desiree Smith has developed a love for design thinking and student-centered teaching models like expeditionary learning during the past 10 years serving as a Middle School Mathematics teacher, Interventionist and Instructional Coach in Washington D.C.  She is currently honing her skills in program development and management in her capacity as Program Coordinator for Zion Church's Equipping Institute.  In this role she creates online curriculum and facilitates adult learning experiences, while training others to do the same.

Beyond Batten, some of her U.Va. connections include double-majoring in African-American Studies and Political & Social Thought, Residence Staff, singing in the Black Voices gospel choir and sharing copious amounts of information giving admissions and historical tours with the Guide Service.  Feel free to talk with her about any of the following as well:  the White House internship, Teach for America, a fellowship in the office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), recovering from perfectionism and the darndest things kids (and adults) say and do.

Mikayla Woodley is the Associate Director of Homeownership at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville (HFHGC). She currently oversees application processing and financial coaching for the affiliate’s three affordable housing programs. Mikayla has a Bachelor's degree in Global Studies and a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Virginia, graduating in 2019 and 2020 respectively. During her time at UVA, Mikayla was a Global Research Assistant for the Global Development Studies Department. In this role, she coordinated projects for seven global undergraduate research teams while also conducting her own community-driven research in Khayelitsha, South Africa. In her work abroad, Mikayla noted parallels of systemic racism, financial inequality, and housing instability between South African townships and low-income communities in the United States. Mikayla later turned her focus to the local level. She became a Graduate Advocacy Intern with HFHGC in 2019, where she researched affordable housing issues, collaborated on the affiliate’s local policy agenda, and helped to establish the affiliate’s first council of homeowners.