Dr. Lauren Mackenzie is Marine Corps University’s (MCU) Professor of Military Cross-Cultural Competence. She earned her MA and PhD in Communication from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has taught intercultural and interpersonal communication courses throughout the DOD for the past 15 years. At MCU, she has designed courses, such as:  “Leading Diverse Teams,” “Culture & Leadership,” “Emotional Intelligence,” “Intercultural Communication,” “Metacognition,” “Organizational Culture,” “Critical Thinking,” “Resilience & Leadership Communication,” “Culture, Conflict & Creativity,” and “Learning from Failure” -which she has delivered across a range of diverse learning levels.

Dr. Mackenzie’s research is devoted to the impact of cultural differences on difficult conversations, and she has written a range of articles and book chapters pertaining to resilience, relationship repair strategies, and the role of failure in teaching and learning. Most recently, she undertook a research project in which she interviewed Marines to better understand their experiences with end-of-life communication and resilience. The results were published in the 2024 article Marines’ reflections on end-of-life communication:  Connecting resilience and difficult dialogue.

Additionally, Dr. Mackenzie served as co-editor (with Dr. Kerry Fosher) of the 2021 book, Rise and Decline of U.S. Military Culture Programs:  2004-20; co-editor (with COL Dana Perkins) of the 2022 and 2024 edited volumes, Women, Peace & Security in Professional Military Education; and co-editor (with Dr. Megan Hennessey) of the forthcoming Military Scholarship of Teaching & Learning edited volume. Dr. Mackenzie was the 2020 and 2024 civilian recipient of the Marine Corps University Rose Award for Teaching Excellence.