Lauren Anderson

Board of Directors, Treasurer

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Human bio: What gives me hope is witnessing so many young people leading change in this world. Through my work at Our Minds Matter, I am privy to meeting some of the most passionate, self-aware and motivated student leaders (who are as young as 12 years old!). These young folks are putting in the work every day to make a difference around mental health and wellness for themselves and their peers. Yes, we are in a mental health crisis right now, but with this new generation of mental health changemakers, I have so much hope for where we will be in the next decade.

Professional bio: Lauren Anderson is Executive Director of Our Minds Matter (formerly the Josh Anderson Foundation), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC working toward the day when no teen turns to suicide. She co-founded the organization in 2012 following the death of her youngest brother, Josh, by suicide at the age of seventeen. As Executive Director, Lauren keeps the “lights on” and guides OMM toward its north star of preventing teen suicide. Her greatest accomplishment to date is seeing the impact of the Our Minds Matter program - a student-led, upstream suicide prevention program that is now in over 130 schools nationwide. Lauren’s work has been featured in print and broadcast news, including The TODAY Show, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping Magazine, NBC4 Washington and WUSA 9. Furthermore, Lauren was interviewed by Deepak Chopra for his One World news show that features international thought leaders from both the public and private sector. Prior to co-founding Our Minds Matter, Lauren worked as an analyst at a boutique investment bank in Atlanta, GA. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in Finance and International Business at the McIntire School of Commerce. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her two rescue pitbulls and is also a student and teacher of yoga.