Washington Women in Public Relations, Past President
Lauren Smith Dyer is an award-winning communications professional. Over the past 10 years, she has counseled government, nonprofit and biopharmaceutical clients as they worked to raise awareness of life-changing health issues and research. Lauren is currently the Director of Communications for the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), where she is responsible for brand/reputation management, and building and executing multi-platform awareness campaigns. In this role, she works to position the MRF as the leading resource for people impacted by melanoma, and ensures that messages about prevention, detection and treatment are shared consistently on the national and grassroots levels.
In 2014, Lauren led the organization’s largest and most impactful awareness campaign to date, #GetNaked. With the goal of raising awareness of melanoma and educating the public on the importance of early detection, the campaign successfully gained the attention of both U.S. and international audiences. As a direct result of the campaign, countless people visited their doctor and caught melanomas in their early stages. The success of the campaign has caught the eye of the public relations industry, earning several top accolades, including PR News’ Nonprofit PR award for Social Media.
Prior to joining the MRF, Lauren served as an Account Director with JPA Health Communications, helping clients across a variety of industries and disciplines navigate complex communications challenges through innovative traditional and digital communications strategies. Before joining JPA, she supported a Fortune 50 biopharmaceutical company as it began to incorporate various health reform provisions into its operations.
In addition to her role at the MRF, Lauren works diligently to advance the field of public relation. In 2014, she served as President of Washington Women in Public Relations and now continues to serve on the Board of Directors as the immediate Past President. A Washington, D.C. native, Lauren graduated from Fordham University with a degree in Communications and Media Studies.
