Laura Checovich is a Senior Communications Specialist at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the communications lead for the Region 9 Comprehensive Center (R9CC). In recent years, Ms. Checovich has managed communications for the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest, REL Southwest, College Completion Network. Skilled in bridging the gap between research and practice, Ms. Checovich reaches and informs stakeholders through a combination of events, documentaries, training and coaching workshops, newsletters, videos, and social media. As communications lead, Checovich guides R9CC’s overall outreach strategy and coordinates a team that produces resources, blog articles, printed collateral, social media updates, email newsletters, and more.
Ms. Checovich has implemented effective and engaging communication systems that enabled ongoing assessment of client and recipient needs as well as feedback on services provided. For REL Midwest and R9CC, Ms. Checovich tracks state education agency policy and implementation efforts with regards to individual state policy priorities. She has extensive experience working with state education agencies as a strategic thought partner and is practiced in implementation science, facilitation, and change management. Ms. Checovich has worked with more than 20 states on strategic policymaking. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Maryland- College Park and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin- Madison.