Laura Kinter

Executive Director, Awakenings

Chicago, IL

Using art and storytelling to help survivors of sexual violence heal from trauma, and build bridges between organizations in an under-resourced mission area.

Laura Kinter is the executive director of Awakenings, where she has dedicated the past nine years to providing healing opportunities for survivors of sexual violence through art. At Awakenings, Laura designs and implements a service delivery model for survivors that includes art workshops, open studio time, and a curriculum-based cohort program. Laura plans to leverage the Scholars program curriculum to work at a systems change level to address the prevalence of sexual assault and aims to foster collective impact by bringing together rape-crisis centers, law firms, therapists, shelters, prevention organizations, and policy advocates to improve the pathway to healing for survivors.