Who We Are

Lauren Allen-Director

Lauren Allen, LMSW, M.Ed, RYT, is originally from the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Lauren graduated from Bowie State University with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work. She earned a Master of Social Work and a certificate of Trauma Treatment and Practice in Social Work from Widener University. In 2018, she earned a Master of Education in Human Sexuality with an emphasis in Sex Therapy at Widener University. Lauren completed the Askable Adult certificate program through the Interdisciplinary Sexuality Research Collaborative. Through this program, she was educated on how to talk to young people about topics of sex and sexuality in a culturally and developmentally appropriate way. The topics of focus were but not limited to, intimacy, gender identity, sexuality, reproductive health, and sexualization. Also, Lauren is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. Lauren comes with over 11 years of experience in the social work field, and we are excited to have her here.

Zoe Brown-Program Coordinator

Zoe Brown (she/her) grew up in Southern California and Portland, Oregon. She moved to the Baltimore area for her undergraduate degree in Peace Studies at Goucher College. She is currently pursuing a master’s in UMBC’s School of Public Policy. Zoe is passionate about abolition work as well as food and housing justice.  She co-runs a weekly mutual aid grocery distribution through Tubman House, a Baltimore City community organization founded by the late radical community organizer Eddie Conway. Zoe previously worked for the Choice Program in UMBC’s Shriver Center and has experience working in adult education. She deeply enjoys working with students.

Kate Arbaugh-Survivor Advocate

Kate Arbaugh, LCSW-C (she/her), graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Maryland, College Park, and with a Master of Social Work from University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has over 8 years of experience working with survivors of trauma. Before coming to UMBC, she worked for a nonprofit agency providing trauma therapy, advocacy, and outreach to those experiencing intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Kate’s approach as an advocate is grounded in her ongoing study of disability justice, queer theory, and intersectional feminism. In her free time, Kate loves baking, reading queer fantasy/sci-fi, and hanging out with her three cats.

Amelia Meman-Graduate Assistant

Amelia Meman (they/them and she/her), ’15, is a queer feminist educator and clinical psychology doctoral student at UMBC. In their role as Graduate Assistant in the Women’s Center, Amelia works with the team to create engaging programs and coordinate the department’s assessment plans. Amelia is a proud graduate of UMBC, where they received their B.A. in Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies, and UMB’s School of Social Work, where they received their M.S.W. In their doctoral program, Amelia is a part of the Gender-Based Violence & Abuse Prevention lab led by Dr. Christopher Murphy. Before entering their doctoral program, Amelia had worked in the Women’s Center as Assistant Director for 6 years. Amelia lives in Baltimore with their partner, their chosen family, their dog Hero, and their cat Yoshimi. In their free time, Amelia dabbles in many hobbies, takes care of an increasing collection of plants, and follows pop culture too closely.

Julia Garcia

Pronouns: she/her

Year: Senior

Program: Social Work major, Psychology minor

What do you like most about working at the Women’s Center?: I enjoy the abundance of opportunities to get to know members of the UMBC community and create a safe space for them to express themselves.

Ash or Nati Acuña

Pronouns: they/them

Year: Senior/Transfer student

Program: Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies major, Critical Sexuality Studies certificate

What do you like most about working at the Women’s Center?: I love the conversations about feminism and social justice the most in the Women’s Center. 🙂

Carrington Cline

Pronouns: she/her

Year: Senior

Program: Media and Communications and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies double major, Honors College Certificate

What do you like most about working at the Women’s Center?: I really value the ability to cultivate a community with the discussion group I lead, Between Femmes! I also enjoy meeting new students every day! 😀

Tanzila Malik

Pronouns: she/her

Year: Junior

Program: Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies major, Political Science and Anthropology minors

What do you like most about working at the Women’s Center?: I love community building, and meeting people from all walks of life at the Women’s Center!

Katlynn Seghetti

Pronouns: any pronouns

Year: Senior

Program: Psychology major, Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies and Critical Sexuality Studies minors

What do you like most about working at the Women’s Center?: I love how fufilling working with neurodiverse and trans/non-binary communities is through the Women’s Center!

The Women’s Center Advisory Board is a collective of graduate students, classified staff, associate staff, and faculty with an interest in participating in the processes associated with developing and maintaining the UMBC Women’s Center.

Board members are appointed for a two-year term with the possibility of renewal. The Women’s Center seeks to serve a diverse population of women, gender minorities, as well as men interested in gender equity. As a result, a diverse board is sought to assure that varying needs and interests are represented. Recruitment takes place each spring semester and interested community members are encouraged to apply.

The Friends of the Women’s Center is an affiliate program of the board designed for UMBC faculty members. If you would like to serve as a Friend of the Women’s Center, please email us at womenscenter@umbc.edu.