Everyone at the National Center for Public Policy Research is tremendously saddened to learn of the untimely death of Lauren Giddings.

Lauren served as the National Center’s Director of Administration until 2007, when she resigned to work for a law firm and attend law school in Georgia, where she passed away last week.

Lauren was one of those rare employees who could light up an office with her cheery demeanor and can-do attitude. We remember her compassion, her strong devotion to her family and her love for her purse dog, Butterbean, who made occasional visits to the office. We remember when one member of the staff had a fractured foot and she voluntarily ran his errands for him. She was always willing to pitch in and help out, even after hours and during weekends. We remember a time when she worked on a Saturday when she didn’t have to to help arrange a semi-surprise birthday party for a senior staffer she barely knew. She insisted we celebrate office birthdays and coordinated the efforts and even baked cakes for them.

Lauren was a pleasure to work with, and none of us have any doubt that she had a bright future ahead of her. She will be missed by many.

Our organization and staff will always have warm memories of Lauren, and we extend our most heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.