Laura Buckwald

Adjunct Faculty

Democracy and well-being, well-being and public policy, resilience and well-being in the Middle East, nature and well-being

Laura Buckwald is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Integrative Studies at George Mason University. She is the first person to obtain an M.A. in Leadership, Resilience, and Well-Being from Mason. Her studies included the physiology and neuroscience of resilience and well-being; positive psychology for individuals, leaders, and organizations; meditation; mindfulness; cultural influences on resilience and well-being; trauma healing; music and well-being; and well-being and public policy. She is a HeartMath Certified Resilience Advantage^TM Program Trainer, a Positive Neuroplasticity Certified Trainer, and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Laura founded the Human Vitality and Resilience Center (HVRC) to provide resilience and well-being training to a broad audience in both the public and private sectors.

Before coming to Mason, Laura spent 32 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Government, living and working extensively in the Middle East and Europe, including war zone service in Iraq. She held several leadership positions and has extensive experience assessing foreign political events, guiding U.S. policy, and advising foreign government officials. In addition, she created resilience and well-being curriculum for USG leadership development programs, teaching evidence-based resilience and well-being practices to leaders as well as officers in high stress situations.

Laura is a Usui Reiki and Integrated Energy Therapy Master Practitioner and Master Instructor, and provides Reiki therapy to wounded warriors. She is a classical violinist who also enjoys playing traditional Celtic and Old Time music, and she has studied Arabic and German extensively.

Selected Publications

Buckwald, L. (2019). Hearing Diverse Voices in Well-Being Research: A Call for Qualitative Methodologies. Journal of Mason Graduate Research, 6(2), 130-153.

Courses Taught

INTS 356 Foundations of Well-Being and Resilience

Education

M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Leadership, Resilience, and Well-Being, George Mason University
B.A. in International Studies, American University, Washington, D.C.