Lauren Drumgold
29th Class, 2022-2023

Lauren is a native of Harlem, New York City, where she grew up observing economic, social and health inequities in her neighborhood compared to the more affluent communities across the city. She graduated from Bates College in 2019 where she received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in African American studies. Following undergrad, Lauren worked with City Year AmeriCorps in Harlem, New York, where she provided academic and social-emotional support to middle school students and facilitated after school programming. After graduating with her masters of public health from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2022, Lauren is excited to utilize her strengthened public health skills to support the efforts of organizations working to fight poverty and hunger in the U.S.

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Natalie Petrulla
11th Class, 2021-2023

Prior to becoming a Leland Fellow, Natalie worked as a Gender Integration Associate with EnCompass on the USAID Feed the Future Advancing Women’s Empowerment program, providing technical assistance for gender integration in agriculture and market systems programs. She conducted qualitative research and developed practical tools focused on increasing women’s decision-making power in production and beyond production activities and addressing issues of gender-based violence in agriculture. Natalie also served as a Food Security Extension Agent in Peace Corps Benin, where she and her local counterparts designed and implemented programs at the intersection of gender and food security in the community. Together, they supported 50 Village Savings and Loans Associations, worked with women’s groups to develop agriculturally based income generating activities, and designed programs to educate youth on nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Originally from New Jersey, Natalie holds a BA in Public Policy and Environmental Science from New York University.

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