Laura Clark, associate director of the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service, oversees the daily operations of all programs, including the After School Program, Emergency Services and Hispanic Outreach.

During the six years Clark has worked with the Peoria Friendship House, she has been instrumental in organizing the Golf Scramble, the annual Maka Maka Fun Run with Maui Jim, and the Adopt-a-Family program. Clark is a role model and mentor for many of those she works with because she leads with style, grace and compassion.

She continually demonstrates leadership as program director of Dress for Success Peoria, with the hope of providing a continuous network of support to women re-entering the workforce. Clark does many presentations and workshops throughout the community for organizations such as Workforce Network, the Academy at ICC, Children’s Home, Peoria Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Peoria, Women in Leadership and CEFCU.

For the past four years, Dress for Success Peoria has participated in the Community Action Project, for which Clark supported delegates in the Adopt-a-Family program. Responsible for identifying the needs of the group’s members, Clark has provided guidance and support for more than five years, earning trust and respect as a woman and as a leader. For all of her hard work, she was chosen to be a panel member by Dress for Success Worldwide at the annual leadership conference in New York.

Clark understands the importance of volunteer service and giving back to the community. She is a member of the Young Professionals Organization of Greater Peoria and serves on the local Habitat for Humanity Family Services Committee, while also acting as a mentor to a member of the Peoria Professional Women’s Group.

In addition to all of these activities, Clark is currently working toward her master’s degree. Her family is exceptionally important to her, and she is a dedicated aunt to her nephews, Colton and Cooper, and her niece, Emma. In everything she does, Clark exemplifies leadership and compassion. iBi