Lauren Annisa McNamara

Lauren (she/her) joined LandPaths as a Seasonal Camp Specialist in June 2026 and stayed on as an Education Field Specialist later that September.  

Lauren was born in Java, Indonesia but grew up between Southern California and the Willamette Valley of Oregon. As an ocean lover, she’s always found joy in nature but grew up with a complex relationship to the outdoors due to representation and access barriers, and to the personal impacts of the climate crisis among her community back home. She is dedicated to being a lifelong learner and participant of local and global environmental and social justice movements that break colonial cycles and restore relationships between land, water, and people.  

Following her love and curiosity of the sea, she studied at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB), the University of Oregon’s coastal research facility. After graduation, her spark for teaching took her to Spokane, Washington as an AmeriCorps member for The Lands Council (TLC) where she supported their environmental education and watershed restoration programs. She’s especially fond of her work with their Nature Connect program, in partnership with Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane (RICS), that empowers youth in local outdoor spaces.  

Lauren enjoys crocheting, writing, swimming, and collecting stickers. She is grateful to learn from and lean on her community of family and friends whose bravery, laughter, and love have helped shape her today.