Laura Rath

Vice President, Programs

Laura Rath, PhD, MSG (she/her) is Vice President, Programs at Archstone Foundation. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for the Foundation’s grantmaking and communications portfolios, guiding a team of program officers and leading efforts to integrate learning, equity, and community partnership across all initiatives. Laura works closely with the Foundation’s Board, leadership team, staff, and grantee partners to advance the Foundation’s mission and ensure programs are responsive to community needs and grounded in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Since joining Archstone Foundation in 2005, Laura has held positions as Program Officer and Senior Program Officer, leading several of the Foundation’s legacy initiatives, including those focused on elder mistreatment prevention, palliative care, depression in late life, family caregiving, and capacity building. Her leadership emphasizes collaboration and shared learning to build relationships of trust and support among partners.

With more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, Laura is deeply committed to ensuring that all older adults have the opportunity to thrive as they age. Her work champions community-driven solutions that improve health, quality of life, and economic security for older adults and caregivers.

Laura served on the Board of Directors for Grantmakers In Aging, including as Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee, and currently serves on the Board of Summer Harvest, a nonprofit focused on addressing food security for families. She is a long-time member and former Board member of the Junior League of Orange County, California.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Science in Gerontology from the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and recently completed the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ Embedding Equity learning cohort.