Interim Director

lmzavala@central.uh.edu
713-743-7827

Laura Zavala-Membreno (she/her/hers) began her role as Interim Director for the Women and Gender Resource Center (WGRC) in April 2022. Concurrent with this role, Laura is a Psychological Counselor with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) where she has served students since 2018. Laura is a Licensed Professional Counselor - Supervisor with over 10 years of experience working with diverse client populations in a variety of settings, including community mental health, residential living, private practice, and higher education. Her specialty is working with survivors of sexual trauma and intimate partner violence.

Laura is also co-founder of Latinas REACH, a support space for Latina-identified graduate students at UH. Active in the UH community and Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, Laura currently serves as co-chair for the Division's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, serves on the Leadership Board for the UH Chapter of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE), and is a mentor for Las Comadres College Mentoring Program. Laura is also active in Unidas in the UH System, a system-wide affinity council for Latina-identified staff. Laura is a proud first-generation graduate of the University of Houston and Honors College. Laura earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2008, her Master's of Education in Counseling in 2011, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at UH in the College of Education.