Lauren Hainley is a graduate of Hendrix College and holds a BA in Theatre Arts. She is also a proud graduate of the University of Houston's Arts Leadership Program completing her in MA degree in 2018. Lauren’s work as a performer, stage manager and production manager have spanned productions including Steel Magnolias, The Wizard of Oz, and American Idiot with theatre companies including Standing Room Only Productions, Cone Man Running Productions, and Pronoia Theater. Lauren's extensive work as an arts advocate and arts leader includes work with Queensbury Theatre, Fresh Arts, and Company Onstage.

In 2018, she was appointed as the founding director of the Houston Arts Alliance's Disaster Services Program where she pioneered efforts to protect the city's cultural institutions and artworks in times of crisis. Her innovative approach, which includes tools like the Cultural Asset Map and the Disaster Resiliency and the Arts report, set a national precedent for disaster preparedness in the arts. She is most proud of the planning and recovery work she executed with HAA including the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2021 Ice Storm, and the 2022 arson at Winter Street Studios.

Lauren continues to share her expertise as an Advisory Board Member with organizations such as the Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance and Houston’s Garden Theatre. Lauren continues to work as an artist, arts advocate and arts administrator locally and nationally and is most passionate about supporting and elevating Houston Texas as a premier arts community and cultural destination.