This month, we say hello to Lara Winter, ITS’s Business Analyst and Report Writer.  

A native New Englander, Lara Winter recently returned to the East Coast after spending 7 years in the Twin Cities at the University of Minnesota in the Technology Commercialization office, which allowed her to get a first look at all the fascinating inventions spinning out of the U. Her curiosity also extends to other fields; she has a criminology master’s degree in Transnational Crime, Justice & Security from the University of Glasgow. 

In her work, Lara helps people help themselves: she spends time automating and standardizing processes so her team can focus on solving problems creatively. Her favorite part of her job is solving those puzzles and building new processes piece by piece. As she says, “It’s satisfying seeing a slogging process turn effortless and streamlined.” 

Outside of work, Lara enjoys exploring and collecting relics in her favorite video game, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and competing with her sister to learn Swedish on Duolingo. This winter, she’s hoping to try snowshoeing and share her favorite horror movie recommendations with other aficionados of the genre.  

If you’d like to chat horror movies, video games, or learn more about the puzzles Lara solves in ITS, contact her here!