Lauren Baer is the Executive Director for Together We Grow, located at Colorado State University. In this role, Lauren works alongside a consortium of many of the world’s largest agribusiness and food interests, including members of industry, non-governmental organizations, higher education, and government institutions. Together We Grow is focused on building a skilled, diverse, and inclusive workforce for agriculture and food that can power the innovation needed to feed the future.
Lauren has a passion for people and problem solving. Her professional and personal passions align on creating more equitable and inclusive environments, understanding and mitigating barriers to entry and success for diverse populations and focusing on sustainable food systems. She thrives on connecting resources and people to reach greater and more productive outcomes than could be achieved alone.
Lauren has spent her career focused on the workforce in the energy, manufacturing, and retail industries. She most recently served as Vice President, Human Resources and Community Investments for QEP Energy where she had responsibility for human resources, community investments and partnerships and corporate communications. Lauren has been featured in Profile magazine for her work in leadership and corporate culture, and she was recognized on the 2020 list of top women in energy by the Denver Business Journal. Lauren currently serves on the board of directors for the Colorado FFA Foundation and previously served on the board of the Kareem Jackson Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational and interpersonal communications from Oral Roberts University and a master’s degree in business from Oklahoma State University.