Laura Gronewold PhD

Laura Gronewold, PhD, is Lecturer and Undergraduate Internship Coordinator in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Dr. Gronewold’s professional career has involved working in both academia and community settings, with a focus on using critical and empathetic dialogue to improve individuals and communities. As Director of Education for Ben’s Bells Project in Tucson, she developed curricula and led workshops about how social-emotional skills build community and effect positive social change. She also created a community education program to promote social justice through guided dialogue with other community partners. Other community projects include serving as Project Manager for The Loft Cinema’s presentation of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival and as serving as consulting scholar on Kore Press’ Coming in Hot Civil Discourse Tour.

Dr. Gronewold’s past academic and faculty work includes redesigning a civic engagement course in University of Arizona Honors College, where she also directed the Honors Alternative Spring Break program and advised Flinn Scholars attending UA. Her teaching background includes original design for writing/composition, literature, film, gender & women’s studies, and critical thinking. For two years, she served as Co-Chair of University of Arizona Commission on the Status of Women, promoting equity, opportunity, and diversity across the UA campus. She also co-led the Commission through a strategic redirection and successful change management. In her teaching and community work, Dr. Gronewold practices a social-justice methodology and empowers students to use critical dialogue and close reading to better understand privilege, social location, cultural capital, and civic engagement.

Publications

2019. “More options for childcare, better pay essential for Arizona children’s development.” Arizona Daily Star, Nov 18, 2019.
2019. “Advice for parents of new graduates: Life is more than college grades.” Arizona Daily Star, May 26, 2019.
2019. “Masculinity Needs to Learn Kindness as a Skill.” Thrive Global, February 26, 2019.
2018. “Employers must do more to support foster parents.” The Hechinger Report, December 20, 2018.
2016. “The Work is Never Done: Women’s Collaboration in the Workplace from Louisa May Alcott to Contemporary Chick-Lit.” Co-authored with Marlowe Daly-Galeano. Reconstruction 17.1 (Aug/Sept 2016).
2013. “Mentoring and Career Success.” University of Arizona Career Services News. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona, September 26, 2013.

Courses Taught

Honors Civic Engagement
Honors First-Year Writing
Literature and Film
Literature and Critical Thinking
Gender & Women’s Studies