Laura is the Director of the Global Organized Crime Index, a flagship GI-TOC product that assesses the scope and scale of organized crime and countries’ capacity to respond. While she has provided research analysing a diverse range of illicit flows across the world, her current regional focus relates to organized crime in the Middle East, previously serving as the Head of the Western Asia Programme. Prior to joining the Global Initiative, Laura worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Terrorism Prevention Branch, where she engaged in research related to terrorism and violent extremism and provided legal counter-terrorism technical assistance to Member States. Laura previously worked with STATT, a boutique global consulting firm, where she concentrated on human rights and prison reform, as well as migration flows. Laura holds a J.D. from South Texas College of Law, and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of St. Thomas.